Lost Before The Dawn
by ToryTigress92
Summary: AU Avengers. Jane is hired by SHIELD to work on the tesseract project, unknowing that Loki is influencing her mind, aiding her research so he can fulfil his bargain with the Chitauri. But the trickster's meddling might just be prove to be his undoing when Jane begins to influence him in a way no other has ever done before, and hope is rekindled for the Earth...and for Loki. Lokane.
1. I'll Pay Her A Visit

Lost Before The Dawn

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Warnings: None.

**A/N: This will remain an oneshot until September when the Avengers comes out on DVD, but it will eventually turn into a multi-chapter Lokane.**

* * *

'_Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.'_

_**- Galadriel, The Fellowship of the Ring**_

* * *

Jane tried not to fidget as an anonymous, faceless SHIELD agent led her down the corridor. It was cold, sterile, like something out of a bad Cold War movie.

She wondered if they did that on purpose, to put visitors off balance, making them expect one thing when the truth was quite different. The man beside her looked so ridiculous in his black suit and sunglasses, indoors, that she almost expected Will Smith to pop up at any moment with his big space gun.

"In here, Miss Foster," the nameless agent gestured her into a lift. To her slight unease, he didn't follow her, just pressed a blank button on the lift controls, and stepped back.

"Aren't you coming with me? Where am I going?" she asked, frowningly.

"The Director will be waiting for you," was all the answer she got, as the lift doors closed, and it descended. The visitors badge hanging around her neck felt like an iron chain, and she wondered, not for the first time, if agreeing to meet with SHIELD had been such a good idea.

It had been three weeks since Thor had crashed into her life, and just as abruptly, crashed back out of it. Three weeks since she had been offered so tantalising a taste of the truth behind her wildest dreams, and it had been taken away so cruelly.

Jane sighed, refusing to let herself think about it. She had known him three days; it was nothing to break her heart over. If anything his departure just gave her more impetus to keep developing her research, to find a way to travel the stars the way he did, to prove to the world that she had always been right.

The thought gave her strength, and she straightened, smoothing down the smart black trousers and blouse that were the nicest things she owned. Living in a desert backwater didn't exactly call for three piece suits and ball gowns.

The lift juddered to a halt, and the doors opened with a _ping_ to reveal yet another long corridor, lit by emergency strip lighting, the walls covered in what looked like plumbing. Great, so she was in the basement.

Could SHIELD get any more cliché?

Black storage cases lined the walls, and a few personnel in black army fatigues passed Jane as she uncertainly made her way down the corridor, following the winding passage, hoping she would find this mysterious 'Director' at the end of it.

At last she seemed to come to an end, as she paused, glancing down the corridor.

"Miss Foster," a deep, commanding voice called, making her flinch slightly in surprise as she turned, to see a tall, forbidding figure in black, a single eye patch bound across one eye. The skin around it was puckered and dark, and Jane uneasily wondered what had happened to cause such a wound.

Her mysterious 'Director', then.

Determined not to be intimidated by the whole silly setup, she turned to face him and slowly walked towards him. "So you're the man behind all this," she called briskly. "A bit much, don't you think? What next, is Q going to jump out of the plumbing?"

"Your sarcasm is unnecessary," he replied, eying her piercingly, as she came to a halt in front of a long worktable, stood between them like a shield. "My name is Nicholas Fury, Director of SHIELD. I called you here to discuss your research."

"You mean the research you stole?" Jane replied coldly, meeting his gaze. Fury did not even blink. Jane turned to look back at the corridor she had just left. "Quite a labyrinth down here. Not to mention all the cloak and dagger stuff. Are you going to kill me now because I know too much?"

Fury's lips quirked in a parody of an amused smirk, as he shook his head.

"Oh God, you're not, are you?" she breathed, wondering what she had got herself into. Fury stepped forward, further into the light, towering over her like some dark colossus. Again, Jane forcefully refused to let him intimidate her.

"I've been hearing about the New Mexico situation," he began. "And I called you here to discuss your research, and what…assistance SHIELD might be able to offer."

"Thanks but no thanks," Jane muttered. She didn't need government busybodies in suits poking their noses in. "I don't trust you as far as I can throw you."

"Fair enough, but don't be too quick to say no," Fury inclined his head. "I haven't even made an offer yet."

"I don't really appreciate having my research stolen right out from under me without a reason, then when it gets interesting, you start drooling. So still not interested," Jane crossed her arms defiantly.

It was cold, whereas on the upper levels it had been hot. She felt a draft of air against her neck, and suppressed a shiver.

Fury continued like she hadn't even spoken. "Your work has impressed a lot of people who are much smarter than I am,"

Jane restrained an urge to reply that that wasn't difficult. She wasn't usually so rude, but the past few weeks were starting to catch up with her, and she was irritable from sleep deprivation. She'd been having odd dreams ever since Thor has disappeared from sight in a flash of light and ozone.

Unconsciously, Jane moved closer as Fury turned to one of the storage cases, hauling it up and onto the worktable. He was still talking. "Legends tell us one thing, history, another. But every now and then, we find something that belongs to both…"

"What does this have to do with my research?" Jane asked. Fury glanced at her again, his one eye delving like an x-ray into her own.

"Your research is sound, Miss Foster. I had some of my best people look at it, and they all agree it's possible. But it won't matter at all, if you don't have a power source to fuel it," Fury replied. Jane's chin firmed.

"I don't know what you're talking about-"

"I know you want to find a way to travel between dimensions, Miss Foster. Don't insult my intelligence by playing games," he continued, interrupting her smoothly. Jane pretended not to notice, but she heard an undercurrent of menace slip into his tone. She made herself remember that she was in a secret government base, with no way out if she annoyed this guy too much. "Now, if we could proceed?"

Jane nodded as Fury reached for the case, unclipping it. It opened with a rush of air, and Jane blinked as it opened to reveal a strange cubic object, nestled in the protective foam, glowing in the darkened room.

Awed, but confused, Jane stepped closer, eying it critically. She could feel heat radiating off of it like a heat gone thermonuclear. It was astounding.

"Pretty, but what is it?" she asked, looking up at Fury questioningly.

"Power, Miss Foster. If we can figure out how to tap it, maybe even unlimited power," he told her, watching her closely for her reaction. Jane's mind raced as it connected the dots, and she understood why they'd come to her.

They were offering it as a way to fuel an Einstein-Rosen bridge.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked. "What's in it for you?"

"If I told you that, Miss Foster, I'd have to kill you," he replied, and she almost thought there was a joke hidden in there. She mentally shrugged; let them have their secrets, as long as she got what she wanted. "Now will you do it? Study the Cube and find a way to tap its power?"

Jane's gaze fell once more to the Cube, and sighed. She was still suspicious of SHIELD's motives in helping, especially if this thing had the potential Fury was claiming it did but…

A chill swept down her spine, like someone breathing down her neck, and she shivered.

"I guess it's worth a look," she breathed, meeting Fury's gaze, even as she wondered what she was letting herself in for.

* * *

"_Well, I guess that's worth a look."_

It was almost ridiculously easy to nudge the mortal's mind just so, to influence her decision.

A dark shadow hovered by her shoulder, and shrouded from the mortals' sight, Loki smiled.

He may have fallen, he may have lost everything, but soon he would rise. He had not been idle since he fell from the Bifrost.

His smile turned vicious, tempered only by pain, as his eyes drifted to the mortal woman who had changed his brother…changed _**Thor**_ so radically. She was not much, and he wondered at her power over him. The only thing to recommend her was a trace of spirit, wasted in one so insignificant.

Pathetic. Unremarkable.

Nonetheless, his plan would require he keep a close watch on her from his resting place. And when he came through…

His smile deepened.

He had promised Thor he would pay her a visit.


	2. Something Wicked This Way Comes

Lost Before The Dawn

Warnings: None.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Odin Confesses' from 'Thor'.

* * *

'_Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.' _

_- __**Edgar Allen Poe**_

* * *

_The Pegasus Project, SHIELD Base 326, Earth_

Jane stared despondently into her coffee cup, eying the congealing black liquid mulishly. She had been working for what felt like hours, and it was only the urging of her colleagues that made her take a break.

She had been working on the Tesseract for three months, and while they had made some progress, Jane was frustrated by a sudden stumbling block in her calculations.

The Tesseract was a powerful energy source, and it needed suitable restrictions to stop it from overloading, and wiping out God knew how much. Every time Jane thought she'd had a breakthrough, something else cropped up, an imbalance in the second equation, a niggling instinct that turned out to be a figure in the wrong place, or too low an estimate for suppressing the quantum tunnelling effect.

Some days, Jane felt sure the Tesseract was just laughing at them all, at the silly humans' attempts to understand something so far beyond them. Sighing, Jane got up to throw and replace her cold coffee. She needed the caffeine buzz.

As she watched the coffeemaker on the kitchenette counter whir and bubble away its task, her mind drifted to another troubling thing.

She hadn't slept much in the past three months, that wasn't exactly new. What was new was the odd, disquieting feelings she awoke with, every…well not exactly morning, but whenever she did wake up.

Sometimes, after a long, draining day where she'd almost been brought to the brink of tears by frustration, she would wake up, calm, soothed, oddly warmed by her dreams, which she never remembered, beyond a silken voice and a cool hand against her hair, whispering encouragement and prodding hints to her.

When she woke up like that, she was buoyed, energised, bursting with ideas and solutions, which sometimes turned out to be just what she needed, and sometimes so frustratingly easy and obvious, she was annoyed she hadn't thought of them before.

But other nights…she woke up with a feeling of dread, of fear hanging over her, clouding her mind. Those days, she rarely accomplished anything, and it annoyed her even more, especially because she couldn't remember _**why**_ her dreams the night before had scared her.

Regardless of her unsettling dreams, Jane was glad of the challenge and the distraction. It felt odd, but good, to be working again, on something more than an amorphous theory that everyone discounted. At SHIELD, despite her wariness, she was treated with respect. It was better than skulking in the desert, scrounging for money to fuel her research, all alone since Darcy had gone back to her college, and Erik was teaching in Canada. She talked to them regularly, but it would have been lonely in the desert all by herself.

Or rather, the desert held memories that Jane wanted to forget. She refused to be bitter about the whole Thor debacle, but she wanted to move on, and she refused to wait around like some damsel in distress. She would find Asgard, but it wouldn't be for Thor, not anymore. It would be for herself.

Although sometimes, she wondered about SHIELD's intentions. Fury had told her it was to find a new renewable energy source, and she believed him most of the time, but she couldn't forget he was a spy, ever. It didn't matter; she didn't need to know, as long as she could get what she needed.

Or so she told herself.

She had a good team, with three research associates, and two professors with long experience in astrophysics and quantum mechanics. At first, she'd thought there might be some friction, due to her lack of doctorate and reputation, but they had all settled in well enough.

Doctors James Stanley and Patricia Kent looked on Jane as a protégée and friend. Patricia, or 'Patsy' as she preferred to be known, looked on her as a surrogate daughter.

"Hey there? Anybody home?" Patsy called gently, eying the young astrophysicist gently. Jane had been working herself hard for months, driven by something she couldn't understand, and it worried her.

Jane started, the coffee cup jumping with her, splashing her front with lukewarm coffee. "Oh, God! Patsy! Sorry, I didn't see you there," she murmured sheepishly, placing the ceramic down to grab a towel and dab ineffectually at her shirt before facing the blonde-haired scientist.

"You were miles away. Are you ok?" the older woman asked worriedly. There were deep circles under Jane's eyes, and she looked so pale and worn.

"I'm fine," Jane's smile was small and wan. It didn't fool Patsy for a moment.

"No, you're not. You're a rubbish liar, now go lie down before you fall down," she told her firmly.

"But-" Jane protested weakly. Patsy held up a hand, sternness creeping into her twinkling blue eyes.

"No buts. Bed, go, now," she pointed to the door, then softened slightly. "I'll wake you in a few hours. Fury's coming by tomorrow afternoon for a progress report."

Jane sighed, but capitulated. She _**was**_ tired. With a grateful smile, she washed up her cup and wandered to the small dormitory that had been laid aside for the research team, in the event they didn't go home.

She sank down onto the marginally comfortable bunk, and sighed, running her fingers through her lank hair. She really needed a shower, but that could come later.

With relief, she toed off her boots and sank back into the cotton duvet, closing her eyes and trying to shut her mind off from all the problems and worries that continually plagued it.

Sleep caught her easier than it ever had before.

* * *

_He had been waiting for so long, and at last, his coming was nigh. As he watched the young mortal scientist murmur and shift in her sleep, an anticipatory smirk lit his features._

_He was Realms away, but even then, his power had only grown. Thanos had taken him, a weak, broken thing and reshaped him, reinvigorated him._

_It had not been a pleasant process, enough to still make Loki wince in remembrance of it, but he was so much the stronger for it. Soon, he would rise and then no-one could stop him._

_He would make the Earth belong to him, as nothing had before. He would conqueror it, and then…_

_Then __**they**__ would see, all of them._

_As he regarded the human woman, he cocked his head to the side, finding himself reluctantly entranced by the soft murmurs falling from her lips as she slept, and dreamed. _

_He had been infiltrating her mind for months, planting the seeds of her triumph in dreams, always ensuring she forgot him afterwards but not the knowledge he planted, until the next time._

_**Her **__triumph…how foolish a thought, when all along it was his own. It was his genius that would enable the Tesseract to bring him through to their Realm, and it would be his pleasure to make her bow before him._

_Thor's woman._

_Although, he had to admit, he had sensed an interesting amount of disillusionment regarding his brother in the young woman. If Thor did ever return, Loki suspected he would not receive as warm a welcome as he hoped. Her tenacity and spirit had also impressed him in their metaphysical confrontations, her mind as forceful and quick almost as his own. She was an intriguing mortal, more so than he had first thought._

_Thor had always been awful at keeping his promises. Loki, on the other hand, when he deigned to make them…he always kept them._

_He was keeping this one._

_Whether that thought was about his promise, delivered in anger and bitterness, or about the girl, he couldn't decide, but the thought made him smirk coldly anyway._

_Now, one last task to achieve before he went through, and then it could begin. _

_On the barren rock where he had resided for months, the lost Prince closed his eyes, drawing on all his power even as the intricately crafted sceptre in his hand glowed an eerie blue._

_Jane frowned, as a familiar voice called to her._

_She knew it…but she didn't know where from. It was…soft, gentle, almost tender but with an edge of command she recognised well._

_Jane…sweet little Jane…_

_She mentally sniffed. She was many things but sweet wasn't one of them. As for little…well, __**that**__ she could hardly help. Genes were not her specialty._

_A silken laugh, amused, rang through her head._

_Feisty as always, I see. Open your eyes, Jane, we have much to discuss before you awaken…_

_Jane opened her eyes, meeting the emerald green gaze, icy and cool, of a tall, raven-haired man in black._

_And she remembered._

* * *

When Jane awoke, that familiar sensation of warmth flooded her, and she frowned at the sensation. Something hovered at the edge of her consciousness, something important, very important.

But it was gone, as easily as a wisp of smoke on the wind when she tried to focus on it, and she sat up with a discontented huff. True, she was feeling better, but these odd dreams were getting on her nerves.

A solution for the problem with the quantum tunnelling effect slipped through her mind, and she made a mental note to mention it to James, before she swung her legs out of bed, and stumbled into the bathroom adjoining the small dormitory.

Inside, she turned the water on, and waited for it to warm up, as she undressed. Steam filled the bathroom, as she dumped her old clothes on the floor, and leant on the sink, eyes fixed on the fogged mirror, but unseeing.

What were these dreams? Why couldn't she remember them? Technically, only the most vivid dreams were recalled once the REM cycle was over, but this…was different.

These dreams were not so much vivid as haunting, and they differed from night to night. Sometimes fear, sometimes comfort…

Jane closed her eyes, willing herself to remember, but once again all she remembered was a soft voice, and a hand on her hair.

Wait…the voice had been male.

Absentmindedly, still focussed on her dreams, Jane wiped away the condensation, and raised her eyes to the damp surface. And jumped out of her skin as she met the emerald green eyes of the man stood directly behind her.

Shocked, terrified, Jane spun but there was no one there. The bathroom was empty.

Inwardly shaking, Jane turned back to the mirror, its concave face showing only her own tired, pale visage. She chuckled mirthlessly, forcing her heart to calm, and shook her head.

She was going crazy, staying cooped up underground for so long. Perhaps she would go out and look at the stars on the roof of the compound that night, after work, just to maintain her sanity.

With a determined setting of her jaw, she turned away from the mirror and stepped into the warm, soothing embrace of the shower.

She was just getting dressed, tying the laces of her boots when one of the research associates burst through the door.

"Jane? Jane!" the associate, Lisa, exploded frantically, auburn curls flying as she flapped, the wings of her white coat making her look like an deranged goose. "You have to come quickly! The Tesseract's going nuts!"

Alarm streaked through Jane, and she sprinted through the door, heart pounding with that sudden sense of dread and fear that had plagued her before, as an unholy chuckle echoed through her head. She tried to ignore it, but it turned into words as she entered the elevator.

_I'll be seeing you soon, Miss Foster…_

* * *

_**A/N:**_** I know I said I wouldn't update until September, but I just needed to get this out once I saw the leaked clip of Loki and Barton on Tumblr. This is, however, the furthest I can go without the DVD for backup, so no more updates until September. Please read and review! :D**


	3. In Dreams He Came

Lost Before The Dawn

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Warnings: Some Violence.

Chapter Playlist: 'Arrival' and 'Doors Open From Both Sides' from 'Avengers Assemble'.

* * *

'_In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came._

_That voice which calls to me, _

_And speaks my name.'_

_**- 'Phantom of the Opera' Andrew Lloyd Webber**_

* * *

The Tesseract chamber was a seething mass of chaos, as Jane rushed in, Lisa following at her back.

"Jane!" Patsy called over to her from a workstation. The brunette hurried to her side.

"What is it? What's happening?" she asked, looking at the readouts. In front of them, held in a metallic cradle that allowed them to test and hold it without fear of disintegration, was the Tesseract. Jane was used to seeing it serene, a cool, icy blue. Tonight, it was pulsing, flashing between blinding white light and lightning silver, an audible _humming_ emanating from it.

"I don't know. We were just checking the energy levels, when James measured an energy spike. The Tesseract just turned itself on," the older woman explained, her brow furrowed deeply.

"That's not possible. There has to be some kind of trigger, a catalyst," Jane breathed, eyes dancing across each screen as her mind spun. "It can't just turn itself on and off."

"Well, feel free to speculate, Jane," James, her other research associate, tall, tanned and dark, snapped as he hurried past. "But right now, we've got a massive energy source and it's only getting _**more**_ active. We need to shut it down."

"Have you switched off the power relays to the cradle?" Jane turned to him, frowningly. The dour scientist rolled his eyes.

"Tried that," Patsy cut in before he could retaliate. "Just switched itself back on."

"Well, try again," Jane replied. "Shut down the whole base if we have to." A cool, calm voice slipped into the conversation.

"Miss Foster," Agent Barton, clothed in black, piercing eyes watching her intently, stepped up. "Perhaps you should consider reporting this to Director Fury."

"Not until I know if we can or can't contain it," Jane eyed him uneasily. For some reason the inscrutable SHIELD agent unnerved her.

"Jane, if we don't contain this, this thing is going to make Hiroshima look like a picnic!" James muttered.

"Thanks for that," she rolled her eyes, her stomach roiling at the thought. "Come on, let's try cutting the power one last time, then we'll look at other options."

James marched off, muttering to himself. Jane refused to let it get to her; she knew it was his way of coping with stress. Plus he was British…sarcasm was their default mode.

Agent Barton faded into the background, as Jane all but glared at the shining cube in its high-tech cradle.

_Why are you doing this? Why now? What's happened…?_

_**Jane…**_

She jumped as a voice echoed in her head, gasping. For a moment, the lights disappeared, and the chamber was plunged into darkness, the computers running down until their crystal screens were dark.

She stood in the darkness, her breathing unnaturally loud on the silent air.

_**Jane**_…

That voice again. Was she going mad?

Suddenly the lights flashed back on, and the computers _whirred_ back into life. Jane looked towards Patsy, who shook her head.

"That wasn't us," the older woman called. "It's the Tesseract."

Jane sighed, gritting her teeth. If they couldn't shut it off, then they needed to contain it. She looked towards Patsy and James, who watched her grimly. She glanced towards Agent Barton, stood in the shadows, and sighed.

"Call Director Fury," she gave in. "I'd recommend a full evacuation. If this goes up, who knows how much damage it could cause?"

Barton inclined his head once, before marching away, already barking orders into his earpiece. Jane turned back to her fellow scientists, thrusting aside the fatigue, as she glanced towards the flashing, pulsing cube.

"In the meantime, we need to finish our calculations and hope we can control the power surge before it gets too big," she continued. The two older scientists nodded, and went to their respective workstations, Jane going to her own and pulling up her calculations.

She was not going to let this go to hell. Not when they were so close.

* * *

_He smiled as he felt the mortal woman's determination. How sweet of her, and foolish, to attempt to do the impossible._

_The Tesseract of Asgard was far more than a simply, paltry energy source. It…she was so much more. She was far beyond anything the simple Miss Foster and her band of ragtag scientists could hope to understand._

_On his side of the Universe, he readied himself for the transition. It would come soon, and while it would not be…pleasant, the discomfort would be short-lived, and he had little doubt he would face opposition on the other side. _

_If one could call their meagre excuses for soldiers 'opposition'. _

_Regardless, he would not be unprepared._

_As he felt her desperation and her grim resolve, as the hours wore on, on the other side, he smiled._

_It was a shame really, that all her work would go so easily to waste. Perhaps he would keep her, after he took power. She might yet be useful…_

_He looked to the murky shadows of his exile, and breathed his last, relishing the fight to come._

_I'm coming, Jane Foster…_

* * *

Hours later, and Jane was no closer to figuring out how to harness the energy of the Tesseract and redirect it safely. James and Patsy worked diligently at their workstations, interns and lab technicians scurrying back and forth between them all, but Jane remained focussed.

Above them, Barton watched over all, his alert eyes missing nothing.

Full evacuation was underway, and Agent Coulson had already been down to check on their progress. Fury was on his way.

The Tesseract had settled down, but its energy levels were still too high for Jane's liking, and all attempts to probe it had been unsuccessful. They couldn't get close enough to take any readings bar what the scanners were telling them, and that was little enough.

It was like trying to climb a mountain with a twig.

Suddenly, a deep, husky voice echoed commandingly in the cavernous chamber. "Talk to me, Foster."

Jane turned from her workstation, to discover Fury marching briskly towards her, his stern face giving nothing away.

"Director," she began, glancing away from her work for only a second.

"Is there anything we know for certain?" the Director came to a halt beside her, his eye roving the graphs and equations scrawled across the screen blankly.

"The Tesseract's having a temper tantrum," she breathed, irritated as he leaned in closely.

"Is that supposed to be funny?" he asked.

"No," she snapped. "It's a fact. The Tesseract is active, and it's behaving. Every attempt to probe or scan it, and it repels us."

"Barton said you pulled the plug," Fury continued, and she nodded, eyes flying over her equations, looking for the missing link, something that was bothering her.

"It's an energy source. You turn off the power, and the Tesseract turned it back on," she replied, opening up another window as Patsy sent her some readings. Her mind raced as she factored in the new data into her calculations. "If she reaches peak level, Chernobyl and Hiroshima are going to look like campfires compared to this…"

"Thanks for the optimism," Fury sighed. "We prepared for this, Miss Foster. Harnessing energy from space."

"But we're not ready," Jane snapped. "We're still months away from fully understanding the Tesseract, yet alone successfully harnessing its energy safely."

Fury sighed, and Jane forced herself to breathe. That sick feeling in her stomach was overwhelming her, and she fought it back determinedly.

Jane frowned as the radiation levels spiked. "What is it?" Fury demanded.

"She's been throwing off radiation for hours, low level, interfering with our scanners. It's just gamma radiation, too low to be harmful," she explained.

"I still wouldn't take the chance," Fury muttered, glancing towards the Tesseract grimly. "Where's Agent Barton?"

"Up there," Jane waved over her shoulder, and Fury stalked away, muttering into his radio.

"Jane, James, it's spiking again," Patsy called, and she hurried over to her workstation. Jane paled, the energy readings were much higher.

"I swear, this thing is like a bloody sentient being," James grunted, as they frowned at the readouts. Jane exhaled.

_Like a sentient being…like something alive…and when something's alive, it needs to get rid of excess energy, right? So, we need something for that energy to do…_

"I got it!" Jane muttered, hands already flying across the keyboard, as her mind raced. She keyed in the new scenario and ran the simulation, almost punching the air when it came back successful. "We just need to keep the motor running without pressing the gas pedal…"

"Huh? English please?" James muttered sarcastically.

"A feedback loop. Feed the energy back on itself, in a continuous cycle, round and round, and replace the energy that the Tesseract outputs!" Jane explained hurriedly, already rushing back to her workstation. The energy levels spiked again, and her eyes widened. _No, dammit! I had it, I had it!_

"Get away from there!" she shouted to Barton and Fury, stood in front of the Tesseract. They glanced to her, then moved back, as the _humming_ emanating from the Tesseract grew in volume and intensity, and it grew brighter and brighter, losing its bluish hue almost entirely.

The air crackled with power, as everyone paused in their work, looking up in trepidation as the Tesseract spat and hummed, as if almost in distress. With a roar, a beam of pure energy shot from the Tesseract, and the air around a platform scanner rippled and shuddered, as it was torn apart.

Jane squinted through the light, glimpsing dark space and burning stars, before the energy exploded outward, ruffling the hair pulled back into a tight ponytail against her neck, almost painfully hot.

Everyone ducked, but the wave of energy passed over them harmlessly, and silence reigned in its wake.

Except for the sound of breathing, harsh, laboured.

Jane glanced up, and gasped. On the platform, wreathed in smoke, was a crouching man, long dark hair, slicked back. She glimpsed long robes of some leather material, before a SHIELD soldier blocked her view as they advanced, warily, forward.

A moment later, her view cleared again, and she could see the man had risen from his crouch, and she gasped again. He was tall, taller than almost anyone she had ever met bar Thor. His face was pale, almost ghostly, and he looked ill as he eyed them all calculatingly.

But it was his eyes that caught and arrested her. Even from this distance, she could see how vivid they were, but she couldn't discern their colour. They gleamed with a malevolent amusement, and a cold intellect.

To her shock and fear, they found and met her gaze, unblinkingly, as a wild, exhilarated smile grew on his thin lips.

A gleaming, golden spear rested in one hand, its tip deadly looking, a blue, oval crystal lying in a nest of spikes. It reminded her of the glow of the Tesseract, which now lay dormant and serene in its cradle.

"Sir, please put down the spear!" Fury shouted, still so calm. Jane felt her heart race, as the man looked towards the Director, then down at his weapon. To her confusion, he then looked at _**her**_, and winked.

He raised the spear, and it _thrummed_ with power, as a ball of burning blue energy flew from its tip. Instinctively, Jane threw herself aside, but it wasn't aimed at her.

As she hit the hard, concrete floor, she was dimly aware of gunfire, and screams of agony, as things exploded somewhere behind her, and a dark shadow flew over her head.

Jane pulled herself up onto her elbows, looking around frantically, her breath coming fast and hard. She groaned as a sharp pain spiked in her side, and she pressed a hand to her ribs. Great, possible cracked rib.

Way to go, Jane.

What she saw when she looked up made her forget any pain. Patsy lay on her side, a few feet away, unmoving, an ugly burn marring one side of her face.

"No," she whispered, as she crawled across to her, feeling frantically for a pulse. There was none.

"Jane!" another voice groaned, and she glanced up through a mist of tears to find James kneeling beside her. "It's too late. She's gone."

Jane was barely aware of Fury rising to his feet, as she forced herself to do the same, leaving Patsy and backing away behind a workstation, as she faced the stranger who had killed Patsy.

All around them lay SHIELD agents and soldiers, some wounded, others dead, while a few slowly got to their feet. Jane called out a warning, but it was too late for Barton, as the stranger caught his wrist and trapped it.

"You have heart," he muttered, his voice velvety, almost silken in its smoothness. Familiar…

"No," Jane breathed, as her eyes went wide in realisation.

The stranger gently put the tip of his spear to Barton's heart, and the entire thing glowed a deep blue, before the energy streamed from it and into Barton. He groaned, and Jane watched in horrified fascination as his eyes turned black, then settled into a bloodshot filmy blue.

He sighed, and lowered his gun, placing it back into his holster.

It couldn't be. Those were dreams, just dreams. They weren't real. Jane watched, enthralled and paralysed, as the man smiled and moved away from Barton.

* * *

Exhilaration from the fight still sang in Loki's veins. The satisfaction of a plan well-executed.

As he turned away from the one known as Barton, and proceeded to enslave the remaining living mortals, he smiled to himself.

Despite the fact his back was turned, he was all too aware of the one-eyed man as he took the Tesseract and placed it in a carrying case, and of the two scientists watching behind him.

He had only caught a glimpse of his brother's woman before he had leapt from the platform, but she was as he expected.

Beautiful yes, but irrefutably bound by the weaknesses of her species.

"Please don't," he called softly, as he turned away from his latest recruit. The magic of the Sceptre burned through his body, and he felt the rush of exhilaration even as his body ached with fatigue from his journey. Regardless, he was still alert and ready, for any tricks this Director might throw his way. Jane Foster has not trusted him, and he suspected he would do well not to underestimate him.

When he was dead, it would no longer matter, either way.

He met the hard, implacable gaze of the one-eyed man, and smirked. "I still need that."

"This doesn't have to get any messier," Fury replied calmly.

"Of course it does," he replied coldly. "I've come too far for anything else."

That caught the mortal's attention, as he turned to face him, the case holding the Tesseract held defensively to his side. That would not stop Loki taking it, however.

"I am Loki, of Asgard," he said proudly. "And I am burdened with glorious purpose."

The mortal woman gasped, and he surmised she not only knew the name, but all her recollections of their metaphysical encounters was slowly filtering back. Surprising, that was faster than he'd expected.

"You…" she breathed, as he glanced at her with a savage pleasure lurking in his eyes. "But you're Thor's brother…"

"Do not speak that name in my presence, mortal!" he snapped, rage burning through him for a moment. He was _**not**_ Thor's brother. He was not connected to that vain, pathetic, arrogant child. He moved towards her, as the male shifted in her direction, protectively. He almost smiled at the futility of the gesture; if he wished to harm the woman, then no one could stop him.

But as he did not, for now, he allowed it. To her credit, she didn't even flinch at his roar, but he did glimpse fear in her eyes, but also…curiosity. Interesting, if foolish.

"You mortals," he looked towards the Director momentarily. "With your pathetic weapons and your paltry defences, you believe you were so safe. But there is always a way in…"

He glanced back to Jane, stepping close. She didn't move under his gaze, as he gently caressed her cheek with his fingers. "You opened the door for me. I thank you for that," he whispered. "I will reward you for it."

"But I didn't…" she gasped, eyes wide with confusion.

"Oh but you did," he smiled with pleasure. "Your mind is mine, Jane Foster…"

"But we have no quarrel with your people," Fury interrupted them, cautiously. Loki moved away from the woman, returning his attention to the impudent mortal.

"An ant has no quarrel with a boot," he replied contemptuously.

"Are you planning to step on us?" the Director asked incredulously.

"I come with glad tidings," Loki continued, hefting his Sceptre. "Of a world made free."

"Free from what?"

"Freedom. Freedom is life's great lie. Once you accept that, in your heart…" Loki trailed off, turning suddenly and pressing the blade of his Sceptre to the male scientist's heart. Jane gasped, moving forwards, hands raised as if to stop him, but he pinned her with his eyes. "You will know peace."

* * *

It couldn't be. It just couldn't, yet the evidence of her eyes and her mind was almost too much for Jane to deny.

This man, this mad, impossible creature, was the voice in her dreams. She watched in paralysed horror as James's eyes turned black, and then blue as Barton's did, before he relaxed and stood, as if to attention.

She stiffened, wondering if she was next, but he…Loki ignored her entirely, as Fury spoke again.

"Yeah, you say 'peace'. I kinda think you mean the other thing," he muttered coldly.

Jane jumped as Barton strode across the chamber, interrupting the duel of wits between Director and invader.

"Sir, Director Fury is stalling," he barked, coming to Loki's side. Jane looked up, and her stomach bottomed out. The excess energy from the Tesseract was pooling above their heads, swirling and rushing around the chamber like a wave of poltergeists. "This place is about to blow. Drop a hundred feet of rock on us. He means to bury us."

The excess energy had nowhere to go, and no way to dissipate. Jane wished she'd had time to try that solution for the quantum tunnelling effect, but it was too late.

"Like the Pharaohs of old," Fury murmured with a grim smile.

"He's right. The portal's collapsing in on itself," James murmured as he crossed to a workstation. "We've got about two minutes before this goes critical."

"James," Jane hissed, as she crossed to his side, taking his side. "James…"

He paid her no heed, pushing her aside as he typed on the keyboard. Abruptly, she felt her arms pinned behind her back, as one of the other enslaved SHIELD agents took hold of her tightly, but not painfully.

* * *

"Well, then," Loki breathed, and Barton raised his gun and fired in one deadly, graceful move.

Fury collapsed with a grunt of pain, and Jane cried out in denial.

"Hush, my dear," Loki purred, turning around and stalking towards her. Jane tried to move back, but the agent holding her refused to let her move. The pain in her side flared, and she bit back a gasp as Loki took hold of her chin.

"You were a great help to me, Jane Foster," he purred with a smile. He raised the Sceptre, and was gratified as she eyed it warily, before meeting his gaze defiantly. "You are a brave one, aren't you?"

Jane didn't answer, just did her best to stare him down. She should have known she'd never win a staring contest with a Norse God. This close, she could see the colour of his eyes, and wasn't sure how to describe them. As the light changed, so did the colour of his eyes, from vivid icy blue, like the Tesseract, to deepest emerald green.

She shook herself free, scolding herself for worrying about the colour of his eyes when he was holding her prisoner. Loki, Thor's brother. Memories returned, of screeching metal and bolts of flame, and the sickening crunch of metal against bone.

She felt the cold touch of the blade against her jaw, tearing her from her memories and back to the nightmare of her present, but she refused to flinch. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

Loki chuckled, and paused.

As satisfying as enslaving her would be, he felt reluctant to do so. No…he would keep her as she was, for now. Looking into her dark eyes, afire with rage and fear and defiance, he felt a rush of pleasure wash through him.

Oh yes, he'd rather break her than enslave her. What a final victory that would be, over his damned…false kin, to have his great love as his willing servant?

He lowered the Sceptre, and raised his hand, drawing forth his magic. He forced her muscles to relax, her eyelids to drop, and her mind to slow until she succumbed, and her knees folded. The agent holding her caught her, and lifted her into his arms.

"Sir, we must go!" Barton called, a hint of urgency in his monotone voice.

"Very well," Loki glanced towards the ceiling, and the ever more lethal energy field, and turned away with one last word to the agent carrying Jane Foster. "Guard her well. She is as precious to me as the Tesseract. Now come."

And with that, he turned and led the way from the chamber, Barton by his side, the scientist and the two agents carrying the case and the mortal, a crater of death and destruction left in their wake.

Soon, it would become a tomb.

* * *

Loki smiled to himself, as he glanced back at the somnolent human woman, caramel hair now loose and freely grazing the floor, eyes closed by the force of his magic. As they entered the adjoining corridor, he felt anticipation wash through him, but he had long learned patience.

He was arrived, but there was still much to do before he could claim his rightful throne.

Looking at her, Thor's great love, and now his prisoner, he felt sure he would enjoy it, every step of the way.

Once he was through, no one would be able to doubt his superiority, his rightful place above them all. He would be victorious and beloved by his new people, at last.

* * *

_**A/N: **_**Loki, Loki, Loki what am I going to do with you...? *shakes head***

_To be continued..._


	4. Innocence

Lost Before The Dawn

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Warnings: None.

Chapter Playlist: 'Laufey' from 'Thor'.

* * *

'_For Mercy has a human heart; _

_Pity, a human face;_

_And Love, the human form divine:_

_And Peace the human dress.'_

_**- Songs of Innocence by William Blake**_

* * *

The tunnel wall was dark and damp with moisture as Loki prowled their length. Agent Barton led him surely through the twisting maze.

He had chosen well. These underground caverns would be easily guarded, and difficult to find. They would do.

He stopped in the centre of a cavernous space at the very centre of this web of tunnels. He eyed it critically, before inclining his head once.

"Gather what we need," he told Barton, who nodded once, and disappeared into the shadows. He did not doubt his loyalty; the power of the Sceptre was unbreakable. He glanced towards Dr. Stanley, holding on tightly to the case holding the Tesseract. "Make your preparations, Stanley. We have only a short time to accomplish my will. Guard it with your life."

"My King," Stanley inclined his head, but Loki had already looked away, to the young woman cradled in the arms of one of the SHIELD agents he had taken.

"Follow me," he murmured, sweeping away, following another tunnel until it opened up, a short way from the main cavern, into a small, square space. He eyed the cold, slime-roughened concrete, and his lip curled in disgust. With a graceful wave of his hand, a swathe of dark green silk blossomed and rippled out over the cold stone. At Loki's direction, the agent laid Jane down gently, making sure her head did not rest on the stone. He waved the agent away, standing for a moment and regarding the woman his…false brother loved.

She looked so innocent in repose. Her eyelashes were a stark black against the paleness of her cheek, a paleness Loki deduced came from long hours spent indoors rather than natural colouring. Her chest rose and fell with the rhythm of her breathing, and she did not stir when he reached out a hand to brush a stray lock of hair from her cheek, grazing her soft skin in the process.

So innocent, and so simple. He almost envied her that. Innocence was a luxury, and a curse, he had long lost.

His…'family' had stolen it from him.

His fingertips lingered on Jane's warm cheek. Had she been awake, she would have been shocked at the softness, the pain, in the eyes of the creature who had torn apart a SHIELD base.

They were such innocent creatures, humans. They played with their weapons and their pretensions of being larger than themselves, but in the grand scheme of things, they were but insects.

Loki's gaze refocused on the mortal woman lying before him.

Such loveliness. Such spirit.

They would soon see they needed him, to protect them, to guide them. Like a wild horse, he would break them all until they accepted his mastery gladly.

_You were both born to be Kings…_

A bitter smirk quirked his lips. His 'father' should be proud. After all, he was a King merely taking a throne for himself. He was doing as he'd been trained to do, all along.

Just not on the All-Father's leash, as he'd intended.

Thanos had set him free, shown him the error and the naiveté he had once possessed was folly, and lifted the veil from his perceptions and memories. His family had never loved him, had never esteemed him, had abandoned him, and thus he was alone.

And alone would make him strong. Nothing could now hold him back

His face hardened, as he drew his hand back, standing quickly.

Nothing would stop him, least of all a silly little mortal.

Inwardly disgusted at himself, Loki turned and walked away, leaving Jane behind in the damp darkness.

* * *

Jane sluggishly crawled her way back to consciousness. Her head pounded, her side ached, but apart from that, she felt reasonably alright, as she forced her eyes to open.

Then shut them again quickly. Bad idea. Really bad idea.

It was like the worst hangover she had ever experienced. No, scratch that. Ten times worse than the worst hangover she'd ever known.

She was vaguely aware of something soft pressing against her cheek, and as she forced herself to lie still, the pain in her head eased slightly.

As she lay there, she listened with all her might, as memory slowly filtered back.

The bunker. Patsy. James. Fury. Loki.

Jane was pretty certain she should be feeling fear right about now, but the fact that she was alive and clearly had all her own self-will intact, confused her. Why had Loki left her alive and free?

Straining her hearing, she could distantly make out the sounds of what seemed like drilling and low voices, followed by the sound of rhythmic _thumps_ that reminded her of boots running on the ground.

Guard patrols, she guessed. But where the hell were they?

Time to have another go at opening her eyes.

Cautiously, Jane opened them a slit, and winced as light assaulted her retinas, but it eased and levelled out, dimming into a brick and mortar-built room, low-ceilinged and cold. It was small, square and devoid of any kind of comfort. Apart from an emergency lighting strip, it was dark.

Directly in front of her stood the figure of a hulking man, dressed in a slightly ragged looking suit.

One of the SHIELD agents Loki enslaved, she guessed. Slowly, carefully, she levered herself up onto her elbows, opening her eyes completely, grimacing as her ribs twinged. She was tempted to use one of Darcy's choicest swear words, but she didn't want to make it too obvious she was awake just yet.

"Inform the master that she's awake," a rough voice suddenly muttered, and Jane jumped, her eyes flying to her guard. Damn, he'd heard her.

Stupid SHIELD training. And the 'master' must mean Loki. Damn.

She looked around, but the only escape route from her prison was blocked by the giant of a SHIELD agent standing in the doorway. There would be no way she'd get past him.

Nonetheless, her mind raced, laced with panic, as she tried to think through the pain in her head.

Why had he kept her alive? Why?

Even slightly off her game as she was feeling, Jane knew that the key to her continued survival was the answer to that question.

* * *

"Well, awake at last," a seductive, husky voice murmured, pulling Jane from her speculations. She glanced up to find him filling the doorway, dark, pale and menacing, except…

Jane wasn't sure why, but she didn't feel scared. God, she should do, she should be terrified but…she wasn't.

Forcing herself upright, ignoring the ache in her side from her ribs, she met his gaze squarely. One corner of his lips quirked upright, and he laced his hands together behind his back, taking one prowling step into the room, then another.

"I believe there are legends on this world, tales that speak of a beautiful maiden, cursed to eternal sleep. I feared for one moment my spell had been strong enough to make those stories true," he began. Jane narrowed her eyes.

"I'm flattered," she replied coolly. Her ribs twinged again, and she folded her arms defiantly to cover the need to place a hand against them. "Why am I here?"

He simply chuckled, watching her intently. "No need to be so hasty, my little mortal," he purred. "You will find out soon enough."

"I won't help you," she snapped, still defiant. "Magic Staff of Doom or not, I will not help you."

"Oh, I believe you," he murmured, stepping close. She tensed, aching to step back, but stayed her ground, refusing to back down just as she had back at base. "Incidentally, you have already played your part, Jane. Your mind allowed me access to this world. That was all that was required of you, nothing more."

"Then why did you take me? Why not kill me or leave me to die in that bunker?" she asked, but he just smiled and turned away.

"You ask many questions when you should just be grateful, and _**silent**_," he replied coldly, but she glared at his back.

She really didn't know why it fell from her lips, but it did. "Make me!"

Jane, you idiot! Not only did it sound cringe-worthily childish, but it was probably the wrong thing to say to a sociopath who had ruthlessly murdered at least ten people right in front of her.

But he just laughed, turning to face her once more. He folded his eyes, leaning against the crumbling stone walls languidly, his ever-shifting eyes watching her unceasingly.

"I could do so, if I wished, my dear Miss Foster," he hissed, as she shifted uncomfortably for the first time. "But I will not. As to your questions, you are an intelligent woman, unusually so for this barren little planet. Think!"

She eyed him narrowly. Talk about a backhanded compliment! "You took James. Sure, he's the expert on thermonuclear astrophysics, but that still doesn't answer why you kept me alive when you murdered my other colleague…"

She trailed off. Of course…

_Explosions…screaming…Thor flying backwards across the road from a blow…the sound of tortured, screeching metal…_

"You going to use me to get to Thor," she breathed.

"Impressive. Quicker than anticipated, I'll admit," he murmured, straightening from his perch and stalking her back into the wall. "But yes. You see, my little mortal, I made him a promise, and I do so hate to disappoint…"

But Jane smiled, and puzzlement appeared in the emerald/sapphire depths of his eyes. He narrowed them, watching her as an almost infuriating smile spread across her lips. "What is it?"

"And you just told me more than that," she hissed, smugly. "You've just told me Thor's alive. You wouldn't be keeping me alive if he was dead, what would be the point of torturing someone to punish a dead man…God…whatever?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "I am seeing more and more why my brother fixed his affections on you. You are an odd choice for him, but infinitely more sensible than I ever perceived him to be capable of."

"It's not his choice," Jane muttered back, meeting his eye defiantly.

"Dear me, how disappointing," he replied, turning away to walk in a small circuit around her. Determinedly, she kept still, as he kept talking. "A woman is but the possession of a man. You should feel honoured to be the choice of a God."

Jane snorted. "It's called emancipation," she retorted pointedly. He chuckled as he completed the circuit and faced her once more.

"You are a fiery one," he stated. "And clever. Yes, I think I shall enjoy this, Jane Foster."

"Enjoy what?" she asked, frowning. He just smirked, a dark, seductive one she knew she shouldn't like.

Then why did it feel like her spine had disappeared?

"You will discover soon enough, mortal, once I choose to divulge it," he replied, arrogantly, and she eyed him glaringly. "Be satisfied."

"You know, the more you tell me to _**be**_ satisfied, the more I'm not," she told him. "Reverse psychology, buddy."

Suddenly, he took a step towards her and grasped her by the waist, making her gasp as fire raced down her spine. He paused, his eyes rushing from her agonised grimace to his hand on her waist, just below her ribcage.

He manoeuvred her back against the wall, pinning her in as she gasped and winced again.

"Hey! Kinda tender, in case you hadn't noticed!" she snapped.

"When did this occur?" he asked shortly.

"You do enjoy making an entrance," she muttered through gritted teeth. He shook his head.

"Stubborn mortal," he murmured, curling a finger under the hem of her sweater and pulling it up.

"Hey! Get your hands off me!" she spat, trying to move away, but he caught her wrists in one of his own and pinned them against the wall.

"Stay still!" he hissed vehemently. "Or I will _**make**_ you stay still. I cannot heal this wound, but I might ease your pain, if you stay _**still**_."

Jane bit back her retort when she felt his free hand brush aside her sweater again, sliding over the curve of her waist. Glancing down, she could see the darkening smudge across her ribs where she'd bruised.

He pressed his hand against her ribs, making her gasp and arch in pain, before a wave of soothing heat spread out from his palm, taking away the ache both from her ribs and the lingering headache from his spell.

"Good girl," he breathed, and Jane was achingly aware, suddenly, of how close he was, his words caressing her hairline. "See how easy it becomes when you submit? Be obedient, and I will take care of you."

Jane eyed him narrowly, as he looked down at her almost warmly. For a moment, dark emerald shone through the eerie blue haze of his eyes, and she watched it as it faded.

"Never," she whispered. "I don't know what you're doing here, or what you're planning, but we will never submit to you."

"Oh, my dear Jane," he chuckled, releasing her wrists. "You will. It is only a matter of time, and then you will see, it is for your own good."

"_**I'll**_ decide what's for my own good, thank you very much," she snapped, moving as far away from him as possible in that tiny room.

He shook his head, raven hair flying with the movement, as he stepped close behind her, so his mouth brushed her ear.

"And that is your greatest weakness, common to your entire race," he whispered silkily.

"And yours is your arrogance," Jane retorted, turning her head slightly to glare at him over her shoulder. "So thank you for the help, but don't expect me to make a habit out of it."

"I would never dream of it," he sighed, almost exasperatedly. "But you will learn."

"Don't hold your breath," she snarled, turning away to glare at the opposite wall. Suddenly, she felt an awful pressure against her scalp, as he grasped a chunk of hair and pulled, swinging her around and to him, stretched painfully against his body.

"Be careful, mortal," he hissed warningly, his eyes dark and glinting like the depths of the Tesseract. "I will only allow you so much insolence."

"Yeah? And where would the fun be otherwise?" she gasped, arching her neck back to ease the pain in her scalp. Appreciation, and something that looked suspiciously like respect, filtered into Loki's eyes, and she gasped again as his eyes flashed green, like a forest in midnight shadow.

"You would have been wasted on my brother. How fortunate for you, albeit not so for him, that your affections have since waned?" he asked, his tone cordial, almost unbelievably so, as if he wasn't all but holding her off the ground, and against his body, by her hair.

His body was like stone against hers, all corded muscle and taut, graceful lines. Not strong like Thor's, whom reminded her of a wrestler or a cage fighter, but like a martial artist, a fencer.

Graceful, lean and deadly.

Why was she thinking this? Snap out of it, Jane!

"That really is none of your business!" she panted. "Especially after you sent that robot thing to kill him. Concerned for your brother's feelings, are we? Brotherly concern my foot!"

"You truly do have a death wish, don't you?" he sighed. For the first time, fear niggled at the back of Jane's mind, but she firmly pushed it away. She couldn't let him see her scared, or he'd be able to control her.

"Nope. Just a smart mouth and a short temper. Careful, they're deadly," she narrowed her eyes, and he laughed, loudly, but it wasn't a cold, mocking laugh. It was genuinely amused, and light, and for a moment, his eyes gleamed green again.

Interesting. She catalogued that thought away for later, as he released her hair, and she stepped back.

"Rest," he told her curtly, as if trying to make up for the slight lapse in his intimidating-God-routine, and she was back to bristling again. "My magic will ease the pain for a few hours, but overt movement and exertion will exacerbate it once more. We will speak more later."

And with that, he turned and left her prison. Jane took one step in the direction of the door, and the possessed SHIELD agent stepped back into view. She sighed, and stepped back, until she hit the wall and sat down until she was back on the green blanket she'd woken up on.

That had to be the most surreal conversation she had ever had. And why was she smiling?

Jane touched her lips, noting their slight curve, and ruthlessly straightened them. He was holding her hostage, to use against his brother, and she was smiling, and flirting with him?

Well, ok, between bouts of him doing the sinister act and then generally acting like the sociopath he was. But still…

He was rather charming. At times. And in his eyes…something so sad, so….broken. She felt…something like pity rise up in her. What had happened to turn him into this mad, mercurial creature…?

JANE! She yelled at herself. She groaned aloud, and closed her eyes, another throb starting up behind them. Great, another headache.

* * *

Loki walked away from the little room where Thor's woman was held.

Although, he supposed he could not call her 'Thor's woman' since she was quite determined not to be. He almost felt sorry for him, the poor fool.

She was an…intriguing mortal. More so than he'd anticipated, but no matter. He would break her like the rest.

Her confidence had to be a façade. All he need do was crack it, and like a mirror, it would shatter.

He shook the thought of her away. He had work to do, and much of it, if he was to be ready in time.


	5. I Do Not Fear You

Lost Before The Dawn

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Warnings: None

Chapter Playlist: 'Tower Prayers' from 'Snow White and the Huntsman' and 'Anakin and Padme' from 'Star Wars: Attack of the Clones'.

* * *

'_The truth is rarely pure and never simple.'_

_- __**Oscar Wilde**_

* * *

Jane was never certain how long she had been trapped down in those tunnels. The hours blurred into one monotonous blur of boredom and darkness. Her mind raced, and whirled in circles. She'd always hated just sitting around, and she was doing a lot of it lately.

When she couldn't take sitting down anymore, she paced her prison instead, shooting glares at the impersonal back of the enslaved SHIELD agent guarding her.

With every moment, it felt like something was rising in the air, a tangible feeling of anticipation, like when thunderclouds were gathering over the desert in Puente Antiguo, and you could _**feel**_ the storm coming in.

Something was coming. Something big, and it killed Jane not knowing what.

Her stomach growled, and she grit her teeth silently. She didn't know if it was Loki's plan to starve her to death, but she hoped not. Starvation, not a nice way to go.

The sounds of drilling and footsteps continued throughout the days and nights, or hours and minutes, and she tried to catch glimpses past the burly shoulders of her guard, but he was too wide.

Did SHIELD just employ ex-quarterbacks or something?

Giving that up, she turned away and continued to wear a track into the concrete floor of her prison.

"I'm not boring you, am I, Miss Foster?" a familiar voice asked, and despite the _frisson_ of mingled fear and exhilaration that rushed down Jane's spine, she kept a cool face as she turned to face her captor.

"Oh. You again," she muttered. "Can't say I'm exactly having much fun. Walking around a room ten metres by five isn't exactly the most thrilling way to spend my time."

Loki stood before her, smirking slightly at her show of insolence. It was more amusing than annoying, really.

"Insolence again. How quaint," he replied smoothly, making her stop and glare at him.

"No, but seriously is that your 'grand revenge' on Thor? Driving me insane and killing me slowly through starvation?" she asked, folding her arms and leaning on one foot in mocking impersonation of him. She didn't miss the way his hand shifted at the mention of Thor's name, nor the way his eyes seemed to glow that eerie blue, more strongly either.

"Well, if my lady is so deprived of both sustenance and intellectual stimulation, come with me," he gestured to the doorway, the SHIELD agent moving out of the way. Jane hesitated, suspicious. Loki sighed wearily. "Very well, stay here if you prefer-"

"NO! No, I'm coming," she muttered, forcing her feet to move. Loki preceded her out of the room, and she followed quickly, aware of the icy gaze of her guard watching her.

The tunnels were a hive of activity, yet Loki's pace was so brisk, Jane almost had to jog to keep up with him, preventing her from seeing much. To her surprise, he led her out of the tunnels, and along a dank corridor, with high windows, most cracked or deprived of their glass panes, until they reached a stairwell.

Loki eyed her narrowly, as he opened the fire door, his gaze cold and warning. "Keep walking until I tell you otherwise," he told her, indicating for her to go first. Ignoring the slight numbing feeling in her feet from his tone, she climbed the stairs in near-darkness, her thighs burning. In her head, she counted.

She'd reached 100 before he told her to stop, and she looked up to see the darkness was not as thick as before. She was panting slightly, as he pushed open another fire door, and gestured for her to go through.

She stepped out onto the roof of a desolate, abandoned office building, hemmed in by skyscrapers and other buildings. The open air was cold, but refreshing, as Jane gulped it down.

To her delight, the stars burned brightly overhead.

"Are you mad? You know SHIELD will be looking for you," she asked, turning to face her captor. He smiled easily, and waved his hand indolently in the air between them.

"A simple invisibility spell, to cloak our forms and voices. No one can see or hear us," he replied, walking past her to the edge of the roof, and propping himself against it.

Intrigued, Jane watched him, sinking her hands into her pockets. "How can you do that? Is it some kind of manipulating any nearby camera and audio feeds, or is it true invisibility? I read about someone who could refract light so it bent around them. Is that similar?"

Loki was surprised. He was not aware the humans possessed such skills. "In a nutshell, yes. In practice there is far more to it than that simplistic explanation."

"Well, try me," she muttered. "I'm stubborn, not stupid."

An amused quirk of his brow was her only answer. "Come, sit. I recall something about 'starving you to death'?"

She eyed him narrowly, before capitulating and perching on the wall beside him, although not too close. Not that it would do much good if he did want to grab her or push her. He was faster than any human.

Jane jumped as there came a flare of light by her elbow, and she glanced down to find two steaming silver foil trays, and the smell of Chinese filtered into her senses. Satay chicken and boiled rice. Her favourite.

"How…?" she gasped, but he just chuckled and looked out at the bustling city skyline.

"You forget, Jane. I became well-acquainted with your innermost thoughts and desires. Would the fact you prefer this sort of cuisine escape me?" he asked, and she stared.

"Yeah, well don't think you can buy me off with food. Believe it or not, food is not a way to anyone's heart," she muttered, picking up one tray and finding a pair of chopsticks hidden away in the rice.

"I know one who would disagree with you," he replied, turning to her, and for a moment, his eyes gleamed that forest green before fading back into that eerie blue. Deciding to ignore him, she dug in, and all but moaned with pleasure. She couldn't remember her last meal.

The morning before it all kicked off with the Tesseract? Whatever, the food was heaven.

As she ate, she glanced around her surroundings, and frowned, trying to place it. It wasn't New York, skyline wasn't big enough for a start, and there wasn't enough air traffic. Where were they?

Loki watched the mortal eat, all the while taking in her surroundings with a piercing alertness he respected. He was slightly horrified to find he was coming to respect the woman, and her surprisingly quicksilver mind.

Eventually, she seemed to abandon her contemplation of their location, and looked up at the sky, smiling slightly. That enigmatic sight intrigued him, almost against his will, and he watched her intently.

"I love the stars," she murmured, softly, as if she'd forgotten who she was sitting with. "They're so beautiful, so distant. So free of everything that's dark and wrong."

"You are wrong," he replied, equally as quietly, his voice no longer seductive, as he gazed up at the stars, so much smaller and distant than he'd ever seen them.

Against his will, memories of Asgard infiltrated, filling him with a deep aching sadness.

"They are surrounded by darkness and the cold emptiness," he continued, his gaze seeming to turn inward. "But they burn so brightly that they stay free and untainted in the darkness, even as they are surrounded by it."

Jane had a feeling he was repeating something. He looked lost in a memory, one that transformed his features, making him so much younger, like a little boy lost.

* * *

"_They are surrounded by darkness and the cold emptiness of the space between the branches of the World Tree, Loki," his father's voice, warm, kind, filtered into his ear as he stood on the window sill, a pair of strong hands around his thin waist. "But look! See how they burn so brightly? With such beauty, their purity can never be tainted although darkness seeks to consume them utterly. They never shall…"_

* * *

When Loki's eyes met hers, they were a solid, sorrowful, green that made Jane's breath catch.

Then his eye hardened, and she felt fear creep into her, and she wanted so desperately to recoil. Now, she saw a wounded, prowling predator, watching her from behind those ever-changing eyes.

She didn't move, because she couldn't. She was paralysed.

The All-Father's voice echoed in Loki's head, and he wanted to snarl as pain and anguish roiled over him in waves, caught as he was in the gaze of a doe-eyed witch.

Her eyes burned as brightly, in the light of the unfamiliar stars above, as the stars in his memory.

_Remember, they betrayed you, Loki. They betrayed you and scorned you. Such memories are merely fantasies._

_You are no one's son._

He tore free of the warmth, the false, sickly embrace of those childish fantasies he had long disposed of, and stood, stalking away from the mortal woman, as his fists clenched and his magic stirred at the stimulus of his anger.

When he looked back, she was standing, watching him but there was no wariness in her eyes, no fear.

Just…pity.

"What happened to you?" she asked, in a deadly quiet whisper. From what she remembered, Thor had painted mental pictures of a mischievous, intelligent man, far wiser than he, and with a devilish charm that baffled as much as it entranced.

And then the Warriors Three and Sif had come, and then that image had been overlaid by another. That of a jealous brother, ruthless enough to kill his own kin.

Something in Jane's mind niggled that was not even the start of it.

"I was betrayed by all those I once cared for," he replied, snarling every word, his voice bleak and cold, as icy as his now blue eyes. "Betrayed, scorned, deceived. Does that answer your question, mortal?"

She didn't speak, but that pity didn't leave her eyes. Rage flared, and he was across the rooftop in a single stride, his hand like a steel shackle around her waist.

"I hold your life in my hands, Jane Foster," he hissed in her ear. With every word, he moved her back a step, until the edge of the roof jutted into her back. "I could kill you with barely a twist of my hand, and I would feel no remorse."

Jane stared up at him, eyes wide, panting as her wrist complained. "That would be kind of a waste, since you went to all this trouble to keep me alive," she muttered, forcing back her fear and summoning up every last drop of courage she possessed. She refused to think about his tightening grip on her wrist, about the God know many foot drop below her, or the way she trapped between him and the wall.

She refused to let any of that, nor the fear that they evoked, show in her eyes. It would not rule her, just as he didn't.

"You don't scare me," she hissed, and his face hardened.

"You will be scared, I promise you. I will destroy you and make you anew. You will bow to me, and serve me until the end of your days as my Queen and my slave. You will have no other thought in your head but of me. Does that not frighten you?" he growled against her mouth. She met his gaze steadily, praying he couldn't hear the pounding of her heart.

"I'm not scared of you," she repeated through gritted teeth.

"Foolish mortal," he snapped. Temper riled, Jane snapped back.

"And that is why you won't win. You might bully, threaten, intimidate and hurt as many people as possible, but they won't give in. We will always fight," she snarled. "I do not fear you, Loki."

Suddenly his grip eased, and Jane tottered, and fear rose up that she was about to fall. That he was going to _**let **_her fall.

But at the last moment, he pulled her forward by her waist, hard against him, and she panted with relief. His lips brushed her ear, distracting her from the pain in her wrist and side.

"Liar."

The single word was a sensual caress against her ear, and she shuddered. She glanced up at him defiantly, and his grip tightened around her wrist. Without another word, he pulled her away, with him, back into that abandoned building.

Jane could barely breathe when Loki towed her into a large, cavernous chamber filled with people. He pulled her towards a large isolation tent, and she saw with a surge of unease that the Tesseract was inside, resting in a replica of the cradle they'd used back at SHIELD.

"My King…" she glimpsed James watching them submissively, as Loki pulled her through the thick plastic drapes, and forced her onto her knees.

"Leave us!" he barked, before turning back to Jane. Slowly he approached her again, until he stood barely an inch away, and unless she looked up, she was at eye level with his thighs.

He knelt, so slowly and so gracefully, that Jane's body reacted. The Tesseract pulsed beside her, hot and burning, as he almost lovingly caressed her hair.

"My dearest Jane," he murmured, seductively. "You are mine, and you will learn your place. You will learn fear, and respect, for your King."

"Respect caused by fear isn't respect. It's just-" she began to retort, but his sudden grip on her hair stopped her, forcing her to arch her neck back to alleviate the pressure. It wasn't painful, per se, just uncomfortable if she fought back too much.

"Hush, my sweet Jane," he smiled, and his eyes seemed to glow just that little bit brighter in the presence of the Tesseract. "You will see, and understand."

His hold gentled in her hair, transferring to her chin, holding her jaw gently but firmly. With a slight press of his fingers, he turned her to look at the Tesseract, burning bright. It was almost painful to look at.

"Look into it and see. Let it show you the truth," he breathed in her ear. He needn't have bothered, Jane was enthralled even as her mind screamed that it wasn't a good idea and to move away now. Not that she could have done even if she wanted to; Loki's arms were like steel shackles around her.

Her eyes were drawn further and further into the shifting, flashing depths of the Tesseract, as it sensed the presence of a new mind, one untainted by the magic of the Sceptre and those who sought to control it.

One who could save them all.

* * *

_She was stood on a rocky crevice, surrounded by obsidian spikes of ice and stone, watching as towering giants with skin as dark as their surroundings hemmed in a group of six people. The wind howled, but she didn't feel it._

_In the centre stood a tall, crimson-cloaked man she recognised as Thor, golden hair flying in the wind, Mjolnir ready in his hand. She ignored the others, focussing only on him as he spoke angrily up at one of the Giants, sat on some kind of throne far above them._

_She vaguely remembered Thor telling her about the Frost Giants. She guessed these giants were one and the same._

_And this had to be Jotunheim. _

_Her eye was drawn by the figure stood next to Thor, pale, dark and handsome. With a surge of shock, she recognised him although he seemed like an entirely different person from the one she knew._

_Loki._

_He stood, tall and proud, emerald eyes cautiously watching everything, seeing danger where his brother did not, the wind playing with the strands of short black hair falling around his face, the skirt of his surcoat lifting in the breeze._

_Jane was surprised by Thor. He seemed proud, and almost antagonistic, as he traded insults with the Frost Giant King. He reminded her of the man he had been when he first fell to Earth. Proud, dismissive and arrogant._

_She watched, spellbound, as Loki rushed to his brother's side, whispering frantically into his ear, and how Thor pushed him away with a sneer. The Frost Giants hemmed the group in even more, cutting off escape, their hands turning into wickedly sharp daggers of ice._

_Thor turned away, and Jane strained to hear above the wind and the sound of her heart pounding._

"_Run back home, little princess!"_

"_Damn," Loki muttered, as Thor smiled and turned, Mjolnir flying from his hand._

_What happened next was sheer chaos, yet there was an odd beauty about it. The warriors flung themselves into battle, fierce and indomitable, while Thor wielded Mjolnir with such awe-inspiring precision that she hadn't seen before, not even in his fight with the Destroyer._

_But for all that, he reminded her of a boy playing a game in the playground. He laughed and taunted his foes._

_Jane's eyes were drawn once more to Loki, graceful and athletic. He didn't throw himself at his opponents like Thor, but took them down, one by one, at a distance, with ruthlessness that sent a chill down Jane's spine._

_He paused, panting, and Jane watched, unseen and unheard in the midst of battle. There came a roar behind Jane, and she turned to see a Frost Giant sprinting towards Loki, bestially triumphant. _

_There was no panic on Loki's face as he stepped back, glancing over his shoulder at the ravine below his feet, just pure calculation as he faced his foe. It passed through Jane like she was just air, then did the same with Loki, falling over the edge and into the darkness below._

_She glimpsed him lean out from behind a pillar and dissipate the double with a graceful flick of his hand._

_She lost him for a moment, as the craziness of the fight swallowed him up again, and she stared as Thor and his band of warriors decimated wave upon wave of the Giants, but they kept on coming._

"_Don't let them touch you!" one, a portly, hulking red-haired giant called. Volstagg, she remembered. She blinked, and suddenly she was stood between Loki and a Frost Giant, watching as Loki fiercely stabbed it with his dagger, but as the Giant collapsed to its knees, he grabbed Loki's wrist._

_Shaking wildly, the armour and cloth fell away, leaving Loki's pristine white skin open to the frigid air, and then as if dipped in dye, it turned the same shade of icy blue as the Giant's own, and strange markings in the skin raised themselves._

_Jane looked towards Loki, saw there the confusion and the pain, as realisation filled his eyes. In those eyes, she saw a man slowly being destroyed, as he stared at his arm like he had never seen it before._

_When he killed the Giant and wrested his hand away, the blue faded, but the pain in his eyes didn't._

_She watched, now from a distance, as he saved the life of the golden-haired warrior, Fandral, and then called out to his brother that they had to leave. _

_Thor ignored him._

_She watched as they ran from the vicious-looking creature with glowing orange eyes that chased them across the landscape, and then the scene faded once more as she blinked._

_When her eyes opened again, she was stood in a golden observatory, watching as a tall, snowy-haired man in silver and gold armour shouted at Thor._

_Odin._

_Loki stood at the side, watching silently after the All-Father growled at him, anguish in those dark eyes. Despite what was happening before her, all that Thor had alluded to in their short time together, she was enthralled by the dark figure watching it all happen. His face had become a mask, and sorrow and anger raged in his eyes._

_A growing darkness._

_She stood in front of him, eyes locked with his, even though he could not see or hear her. She was not even a ghost to him, here, in this…memory? Vision?_

_Why was the Tesseract showing her this?_

* * *

_The scene changed again, to a warm, golden room. Around a fire was grouped three sofas, and the Warriors Three and Sif reclined in them._

_Loki was stood at the side, a part of the scene yet somehow, still separate. Jane watched him look intently at his hand, horror and pain ill-concealed, to her at least, behind the mask of his face._

_She listened as he confessed to telling the All-Father where they'd gone, then his angry snarl at Sif when she begged him to bring Thor back._

"_And if I do, then what? I love Thor more dearly than any of you, but you know what he is. He's arrogant, he's reckless, he's dangerous. You saw how he was today! Is that what Asgard really needs of its King?"_

_She watched after him, heart pounding, as he stalked away. The scene bled away once more, until she was stood in a darkened hallway, lit only by two great torches at the opposite end, and the white light shining from behind a barred gate behind her. In front of her was a gleaming casket, bound in what looked like silver, but it glowed with a cold, icy light within._

_Loki walked briskly up the hallway, ignoring the alcoves either side of him. His breath came from him in quiet gasps, and he looked pale. Jane watched as he stopped before the casket in front of her, looking down at it with mingled hope and resignation, as he set his hands to the handles on either side._

_He lifted it, and Jane watched as the blue once more consumed the white skin of his hands, chasing its way up his arm. She looked up, into his eyes, as resignation became realisation, and then horror and loathing filtered into those eyes._

_It was like watching someone unravel before her very eyes. Jane's heart broke for him._

_Instinctively she knew. She didn't know how, or why, but she knew. Loki's entire life had been a lie up to this point, and now he had just discovered it._

"_Stop!" a voice called, one Jane recognised as the All-Father's. Loki held the casket aloft, but made no move to lower it. He watched, entranced by the spread of blue up his body._

"_Am I cursed?" Loki asked._

"_No."_

"_Then what am I?" he hissed, placing the casket down._

_Jane felt a shiver rush down her spine as Loki's eyes deepened from forest green to demonic, glowing red. Red as blood._

_It didn't frighten her._

_The markings she remembered from before reappeared, tracing their way across his forehead and face. He looked feral and beautiful, some wild, untamed creature from folklore as he turned to face the All-Father._

"_You're my son," he replied, standing in golden robes at the head of the stairs leading away from the hallway. Loki's voice was as sardonic as it was pained. _

"_What more than that?"_

* * *

_Their conversation after that barely impinged on Jane's thoughts. All she could see was Loki, and the destructive anguish that burned hotter and hotter with each word from the All-Father's lips. _

_Her heart broke with each revelation, until it lay in a million myriad pieces. She almost did not need to see the rest, and watched with detachment, as Loki assumed the throne at his mother's behest, then the confrontation with the Warriors Three and Sif, then the lies he told his brother while he was imprisoned by SHIELD at the compound. The bargain he made with his birth father to kill Odin._

_Loki, sat on the throne, while the Destroyer tore apart Puente Antiguo, his face an icy mask. The determination and the pride in his eyes when he killed Laufey, and proclaimed himself Odin's son._

_The fight on the Bifrost. Loki and Thor's words to one another, the pain and the growing madness in every word, deed and gesture of Loki's._

_She watched as the two Princes dangled precariously from the edge of the broken Bifrost, held only by Loki's grip on the staff, and the All-Father's iron hold on Thor's ankle._

"_I could have done it, Father! I could have done it! For you! For all of us!" Loki's pleading voice pierced Jane's already mangled heart as she stared down him, from her place beside the All-Father. Hope burned in his eyes._

_Two words was all it took. "No, Loki."_

_Jane watched as the hope died, and then there was just nothing. She looked into the eyes of a dead man, sightless, bereft of all life and hope. _

_Loki let go, and Jane cried out his name, her voice lost amid the roar of the wind and the cry of another, equally as heartbroken, equally as hopeless as the eyes of the man falling into nothingness below them._

_**Now you can understand…**_

_As blackness crawled in at the edges of Jane's vision, blocking out Thor, the broken Bifrost, the black hole below, a new voice echoed in her ears. It was oddly sexless, neither male nor female. It wasn't like Loki's seductive purr, or Thor's husky growl, or the All-Father's commanding bark._

_It was like no other voice Jane had ever heard._

_**Understand, Jane Foster, and you might just save us all…**_

* * *

Loki gently caught Jane as she slumped backwards into his arms, her eyes closed tightly as a slight moan of pain slipped from her lips.

Almost lovingly, he stroked back her hair from her face, before cradling her in his arms. "Now, you will understand," he breathed. "When you wake up, everything will change."


	6. To Prove A Point

Lost Before The Dawn

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Warnings: None.

Chapter Playlist: The main theme from 'Brave' which I think we'd all agree applies to Jane in this story, and 'Walter's Burial' from 'Robin Hood'.

* * *

'_Curiosity is one of the forms of feminine bravery.'_

_-__**Victor Hugo**_

* * *

Jane groaned as she slowly managed to come back to the land of the living. Her head ached, _**again**_, as she levered herself up on her elbows.

She was back in her prison again, stretched out on that length of green silk. The familiar sounds of footsteps and people talking filled her ears again, and she glanced around.

And was shocked to see her guard was gone.

Warily, she pulled herself upright and then moved into the doorway, glancing outside. Still, no guard.

Frowning, she pondered what that could mean, as she forced her aching head to remember everything that had happened.

They'd been up on the roof. Loki had fed her, accidentally revealed a little more than he'd wanted to, then physically threatened her with slavery and being his Queen, before dragging her back down here to look into the Tesseract.

The man was practically a walking case study in passive-aggressive psychosis. Although…Jane wasn't sure anymore if he was truly mad, not the way she'd thought he was.

Memories of those visions the Tesseract had shown her filtered into her head, as she slowly walked down the damp hallway.

Was that what had led him to become a power-hungry madman? That pain, that anguish, that…_desolation_?

Jane shuddered again, just thinking about the way he had looked, the agony in his eyes after the Giant had touched his skin.

His entire life had been a lie. Raised a Prince, promised a throne, and he'd been nothing more than a diplomatic pawn. Ouch.

And now here he was, trying to take the Earth for his own. Why?

Jane had a niggling feeling that was one part of the key to solving this puzzle. Like an equation, if she just figured this out, she could….what? Save him? Save everyone?

That was what the voice had said before she blacked out.

She shivered, as she remembered the burning glow of the Tesseract as it took her mind into its depths, and how much it reminded her of Loki's eyes.

Loki's eyes had been green in those visions she'd seen. A deep, gleaming emerald green. Now they swung between, from green to eerie blue.

What did that signify? Was he like the others, possessed somehow by the Tesseract? Or by someone else using the Tesseract remotely? If so, what had they done to him?

He didn't remind her of the others she'd seen him enslave using the Sceptre. He was too much in full possession of himself, too mercurial. No, she sensed it was something subtler than the control he exerted over James, Agent Barton and the rest.

_**Understand, Jane Foster, and you might just save us all…**_

Remembering that voice, made of starlight and burning power, Jane shivered.

What was she meant to do? Understand what?

The dim shadows of the hallway held no answers.

* * *

Loki sat, cross-legged, in a hallway just off the main chamber where Stanley and his scientists worked on the Tesseract.

He had left Jane, comatose and limp, in her room, pausing only to once again stroke her hair back from her face before leaving her.

He had lost his control, up on the roof. She had elicited a forgotten memory with her appreciation of the stars' beauty, and he had lashed out, like a wounded animal.

Pathetic. Weak. He was above that now. Above such childish sentiment.

He did not want to think about the warmth the memory had evoked, nor the confusion the mortal woman's pity had brought out within him.

There should be no confusion. He was a monster, the son of a monster. Thanos had made him see that, and in truth, he had accepted it. He was a monster, but one destined for so much more than either of his narrow-minded sires had ever dreamed.

One was beyond his reach, now, by his own hand, but the other would soon see his folly in dismissing him.

No. There was no confusion.

"_Mother, I'm confused. I don't understand-" his child-self muttered sullenly, glaring down at his books. _

"_And what do we do when we are confused, my son?" Frigg smiled down at him, stroking his hair, smoothing it back into place. "We find the answer to our question, Loki. Don't give up, Loki."_

No, no, no!

That was lies, all lies. Untrue, wrong, deceptive. He would not think of them, of _**her**_.

Damn that mortal. He had felt no confusion before he took her.

He conjured the Sceptre into his hand, feeling its heavy, cold weight in his palm with something akin to relief.

He was Loki, son of no one, and he would rule this world. Soon.

Summoning his power, he closed his eyes as the jewel nestled in-between the blades of the Sceptre glowed a bright, burning blue, and his perception of the world shifted.

The walls of the underground tunnels melted away, and he was stood, in his full battle regalia, the Sceptre fully extended in one hand, as the Other prowled from the shadows.

The stars shone but dimly here, in the shadow and haze that surrounded Titan and the asteroid belt that ringed the planet. Everything seemed dimmed, cold, and he suppressed a shiver as he faced the repulsive emissary of Thanos.

"The Chitauri grow restless."

"Let them gird themselves," he murmured, idly pacing from one spot to another. Let his warriors work themselves into a frenzy. It would be all to the good; the humans would not know what hit them. "I will lead them in the glorious battle."

"Battle?" the Other scoffed. "Against the meagre might of Earth?"

"Glorious, not lengthy," Loki replied, contemptuously. He thought of Jane but brushed it aside. "If your force is as formidable as you claim."

"You question us? You question him?" the Other snarled, placing one six-fingered hand against the glittering rock. Loki eyed him, then the iridescent stairway leading up into oblivion, one he had climbed many times before, when he first landed on Titan, when he first was dragged into Thanos' presence.

Where he first learned the truth about his life, his purpose.

"He who put the Sceptre in your hand? Who gave you ancient knowledge and new purpose when you were cast out? Defeated?"

"I was a King!" Loki snarled, his temper already thin from his temporary loss of control with Jane. "The rightful king of Asgard. Betrayed."

"Your ambition is little, and born of childish need," the Other sneered, as Loki turned away. "We look beyond the Earth to the greater worlds the Tesseract will unveil."

He faced the cloaked and shrouded Other with a sardonically quirked brow. "You don't have the Tesseract yet." The Other turned on him with a snarl, bloody teeth gleaming sickeningly, but Loki merely raised the Sceptre warningly. Even at the risk of Thanos' displeasure, he would kill this stunted worm gladly. "I don't threaten, but until you open the doors; until your force is mine to command, you are but words," he hissed softly. The Other's reptilian face did not change, but he lowered his hand as he stepped away, stalking around Loki, making his skin crawl beneath his armour.

"You will have your war, Asgardian," the Other growled menacingly. "If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no Realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he cannot find you."

Loki fought not to recoil as the Other's stinking breath washed against his neck, as he leaned in, his words dripping like poison into his ear.

"You think you know pain?" the creature continued. "He will make you long for something sweet as pain!"

He felt the slightest pressure against his temple, as a memory rose up, bitter and painful.

* * *

_The pull of the wormhole beneath him was almost too strong to resist, as he clung onto the shaft of Gungnir. His cloak flapped around him, trapping his legs, and he could not move._

"_Thor! Thor!" he called out to his brother, who held the other end, watching him with scornful, contemptuous eyes. "Help me, brother!"_

"_Nay, Loki," he growled. "You were never worthy to be King. You are not worthy to walk away with your life now."_

"_Father, please!" he cried out, looking to the All-Father, crouched beside Loki. _

_The All-Father's eyes were merciless, pitiless as they glared down at him, the cuckoo, the unwanted son, the trophy, the relic. "No, Loki."_

_Thor let go of Gungnir, and the smile on his golden face was all but demonic._

* * *

He was thrown from the memory, as the pressure turned to a blow, and his head was driven sideways by the force of it. His head ached, with pain and rage, bile rising in his throat as he grit his teeth and forced it away.

The pain, the anger…the cloying newness of the fear. He would not fail, he could not.

When he opened his eyes, it was to see Jane stood, watching him calmly, without pity or fear in those dark eyes.

He would not lose. He could not.

"You are awake," he murmured, rising from his place on the floor, the Sceptre fading from sight in a flare of gold from his palm. She didn't say anything, just watched him.

Feeling oddly uncomfortable, which did not soothe his temper, he turned to leave when her voice, soft, musical, made him pause.

"Why are you doing this?"

He turned, and faced her, where she stood, brave and fearless and defiant, watching him closely.

"I am doing this because you need me, Jane Foster," he replied, stepping towards her, but she did not move back. "Your entire race needs me, needs a ruler who will cut through the morass of identity and freedom you so desperately reach for, when it is so much simpler to attain neither."

"I will give you guidance, and protection. I will allow none to harm what is mine, and in return, you will bow to me," he continued, stopping before her, looking into her eyes intently. "I will build a new world for us all, a paradise. Do you not see, Jane? Do you not understand, now? You have looked into the heart of the Tesseract. Why not help me?"

Jane just shook her head, a slight smile on her delicate lips. "You're kidding yourself. You're not doing this for us, for some big altruistic reason," she retorted coolly. "You're doing this because of Thor, because of the jealousy you feel towards him. And it won't work anyway. The human race, despite what you think, will not just bow down to you, not anymore. The time where you could have come here and done that is long passed, so stop this now, before more people are hurt."

Loki just chuckled, shaking his head. "My stubborn, little mortal. What am I to do with you?" he asked, ignoring her jab about Thor. She was far off the mark.

"I know what happened to you," she replied, her voice and eyes saddening slightly. "The Tesseract showed me everything."

He straightened at that, and eyed her coolly. "Then you will know that I was betrayed. How does it feel, to know your beloved Thor betrayed his own family?"

"Tell me what happened," she replied. He frowned down at her. "I want to hear it in your own words."

He capitulated. "He threw me from the Bifrost, and my…father," he spat the word. "Stood by and watched. I was nothing to them, a pawn, a trophy. They all betrayed me."

Jane inwardly frowned at that, but looking into Loki's eyes, she could see he was telling the truth. Or believed he was telling the truth.

Because Loki hadn't been thrown into that abyss. He let go.

* * *

"Come, enough dwelling on such maudlin thoughts," Loki suddenly proclaimed, holding out his arm. Jane took it warily, and he walked from the chamber, with her at his side.

She winced as pain shot through her healing ribs, but hid it well enough that Loki didn't notice. He escorted her into the wide, spacious chamber from before, bustling with activity, as guards and white-coated scientists went back and forth. Jane watched with interest, recognising much of the equipment as similar to SHIELD's, before they reached the tent with the Tesseract.

Reluctant, Jane hesitated but Loki smiled almost tenderly, and inexorably drew her on, just in time to hear James' excited "HEY!"

"This is amazing," the British scientist gabbled enthusiastically, as they stopped on the other side of the observation curtain, Agent Barton stood to the side, glaring down at something on a touchpad. "The Tesseract has shown me so much, it's incredible! More than just knowledge, it's more…truth."

"What have you done to him?" Jane breathed, thoroughly disturbed by the cheery smile on James' face, and the way he almost bounced around.

"An improvement, would you not say?" Loki murmured quietly.

"No way. I think I preferred him grumpy and sarcastic," she whispered in retort, surprised when he chuckled ruefully.

"It's wonderful," James repeated, that large, goofy smile on his lips as Jane almost recoiled. Major creepy, as Darcy would say. All of a sudden, she felt a wave of affection as she recalled the fiery brunette student, and wondered if she was alright, and if Erik was well.

"I know," Loki turned back to the scientist, with a knowing smile. "It…touches everyone differently."

He glanced at Jane, who just eyed him narrowly, pointedly removing her hand from his arm and folding her own together tightly. Whatever the Tesseract had shown her, it hadn't done anything to sway her, unfortunately.

A pity, but Loki had other tricks up his sleeve. Jane Foster would be his Queen, and she would belong to him. In that, as in all things, he was determined.

Why, he was not sure anymore, and that he refused to contemplate.

* * *

Pulling himself from his preoccupation, he turned to Barton, the mortal's eyes tired and bloodshot despite the gleaming blue of his irises.

"What did it show you, Agent Barton?" he asked coolly.

"My next target," the mortal replied brusquely. James sniggered.

"Listen to him. Philistine," he snorted, as Jane watched the two, askance. This was too weird. "No wonder we ended up in a dump like this."

"Well, the Radisson doesn't have three levels of lead-lined flooring between SHIELD and that Cube," Barton replied dryly, as Jane moved closer, eyes intent on the Tesseract.

She was barely aware of Loki moving away, as she stared at the Tesseract, and the cradle it was in, trying to work out what was different. Something was, she could feel it, but what? Surely they couldn't be creating another portal? It would just collapse like it did at SHIELD, unless they could address the problem with the quantum tunnelling effect. The possible solution Jane had thought of before it all went to hell floated back to the surface of her mind, but she decided it was probably wiser not to tell Loki about it. She wasn't about to help him, after all.

But why did he want another portal? She mused on the question, achingly aware of when Loki left her side entirely, but she refused to acknowledge it.

* * *

"I see why Fury chose you to guard it," Loki smiled, letting Jane go as she curiously watched the scientists working on the Tesseract. All to the good.

He needed to speak privately with Barton, and it would be best if Jane did not hear this.

"You're going to have to contend with him, Sir," Barton replied, falling in beside Loki as they walked a short distance away from the scientists and Jane. "As long as he's in the air, I can't pin him down. He'll be putting together a team."

Loki felt something like amusement rise, but he pushed it aside in favour of caution. Clearly Jane was not the only defiant specimen among her species. "Are they a threat?" he asked shortly.

"To each other, more than likely," the agent continued. "But if Fury can get them on track, and he might, they could throw some noise our way."

Midgardians and their quaint little sayings. Loki almost wanted to roll his eyes, but did not, as something Barton's tone rankled. "You admire Fury."

It was a statement, not a question.

"He's got a clear line of sight," Barton admitted, pausing as Loki walked on.

"Is that why you failed to kill him?" he asked caustically, recalling the one-eyed commander of SHIELD.

"It might be," the agent admitted again. "I was disorientated. And I'm not at my best with a gun."

Loki stopped and faced the enslaved agent, eying him coldly, as he paused before the entrance to the tunnels. "I want to know everything you can tell me about this team of his. I would test their mettle," he hissed, glancing up at the layers of stone and concrete between him and the world he would rule. "I weary of scuttling in shadow. I mean to rule this world, not burrow in it!"

"It's a risk," Barton replied coolly.

"Oh yes," Loki smirked, fully aware it was a vicious one, letting savage anticipation take hold of him for a moment. It cleared away the fog of confusion in his mind at any rate, even if only for a moment.

"If you're set on making yourself known," Barton mused. "Could be useful."

"Tell me what you need," Loki stepped towards the mortal with an eager grin. Barton turned towards a protective case containing his precious bow. With a metallic flick, it extended in his hand, and Loki's grin was matched by his own, slight smirk.

"I need a distraction, and an eyeball."

Loki's gaze went to Jane, petite and slender against the backdrop of bustling scientists, and he smiled as Barton told him where and when their target would be. A plan took shape, and he mused on every possible permutation, every outcome, before deciding on it.

"I won't be going alone," he told the agent, who accepted it with barely a flicker of surprise. "Miss Foster will accompanying me."

There, he could keep an eye on her, and she might come in useful, despite the danger of his plans. And he had a point to prove to her, his stubborn, wilful Jane.

* * *

_**A/N:**_I put the deleted scene back in, because I felt it was useful in this story. I get why they deleted it before, because it revealed Loki's plans a bit too precipitiously in the film's storyline, but since you've all seen the film and know what happens, that excuse is rather redundant now. And plus, he looked so darn sexy in that scene, it was just another excuse to re-watch it.


	7. The Touch of a Monster

Lost Before The Dawn

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Warnings: None.

Chapter Playlist: 'Henry Meets Anne Boleyn' from 'The Tudors: Season One', 'Mercy in Darkness' by 'Two Steps From Hell', and 'Hold The Ice' from 'King Arthur'.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Jane demanded as she was forced along beside Loki, armed soldiers and Barton at her back ensuring her temporary obedience. The dark presence beside her glanced at her coolly, before his breath huffed from him in an amused chuckle.

"Again with the questions. You are an inquisitive one, are you not?" he smirked, and she glared at him. Unease bubbled in her stomach, but at least she was getting away from the tunnels that were her prison.

She might be able to escape.

A moment later, she dismissed that notion. Loki would not be so distracted by whatever he was up to that he'd forget her, and let her slip away. For some reason, he wanted her close, with him.

Because he wanted her as his Queen. The thought made Jane shudder, the idea of her life spent as nothing more than a mindless bed-warmer, enslaved to his every whim, utterly repugnant to her.

Not because he was unattractive, because he wasn't, not that she was thinking of him like that, but…she was no one's slave. Hell no.

At the thought Jane's gaze flicked sideways, back to him, the power-crazed, domineering alien from another world, set on taking hers. She remembered all she had seen, all she had begun to suspect, and felt a cold shiver run down her spine.

How much damage did it take before someone was royally screwed up for good? Was he redeemable?

He had killed, mercilessly, and right in front of her. She had seen the savage exhilaration in his face after he had taken down those SHIELD agents back at base. There was a whole load of darkness inside of him, added to a metric ton of crazy. But was there more?

He was capable of care, as when he regularly took the pain of her healing ribs away for a few hours, he was capable of more. She had seen it in his eyes, when they flashed that beautiful shade of green, juxtaposing so sharply against the chill of his blue eyes.

What influence could any being have that would warp someone's mind so much? Although to be honest, she was dealing with magic and Gods and monsters, something no number of degrees or letters after her name would ever have prepared her for.

She almost had to shut her eyes when they hit daylight, it was so piercing. Loki held her back as Barton and his men scouted out the area, then brought a large, nondescript white van around.

Barton returned a moment later. "Sir, SHIELD's going to have facial recognition running on you, Miss Foster and myself," he explained. "I can escape detection, but if you have any way of hiding yourself or changing your appearance until we're ready, I'd advise you do it now."

Loki considered a moment, blue eyes narrowed, as Jane glanced between him and the coolly blank Agent Barton. Until they were ready? Ready for what?

"Very well, Agent Barton," he inclined his head. "It would be prudent to do so until we reach Germany."

"Germany!?" Jane squeaked, staring at Loki. "Why the hell are we going there?"

And what was going to happen to the Tesseract?

"I have business in Germany," was all the answer she got, implacable and immovable. "And you're coming with me."

"Why?" Jane folded her arms defiantly, eyes narrowed. Loki sighed and rolled his eyes.

"To keep you out of trouble, now come!" he compelled her forward, firmly holding her by her elbow. She froze as her body met his, and then tensed as he pushed her into the back of the van. Deciding co-operation, for the time being, was the better part of valour; Jane sat quickly on a bench then proceeded to pointedly ignore Loki for the remainder of the journey. He, in turn, ignored her entirely, eyes withdrawn, seeing only inwardly. She wondered what he saw.

* * *

Hours later it felt, the van came to a stop, and silence descended as the engine growled to a halt. Jane waited, tense and edgy, almost jumping when the doors opened to reveal Barton hopping in, ignoring his men and kneeling beside Loki. He whispered in the Prince's ear, who just inclined his head and sent Barton a loaded glance.

He turned to her, and held out his hand. "Come."

Jane slowly put her hand in his, allowed him to pull her up. As soon as she was standing, his hand left hers and she gasped as a sensation of cold raced down her body, and the jewel of Loki's sceptre glowed brightly.

"What are you doing?" she asked, restraining an urge to move away.

"Disguising our appearances. I am loath for SHIELD to recognise either one of us," he replied shortly. "It is only temporary."

Uneasily, Jane wondered what she now looked like. Was that vain, considering the circumstances? Ordinarily, she didn't give a damn. Now…

Loki took her hand once more, and she blinked. What about him?

Sensing her question, he just smiled. "The glamour only works on others, not on you or I. Now come, and remain silent or there will be consequences."

Jane instinctively rebelled, but then thought of James. Would he harm James for her defiance if she did something in a public place? Defying him to his face when they were alone was seemingly acceptable, but in front of others?

Either way, she couldn't take the risk.

Loki nodded approvingly as he handed her out of the van, with a sneer of distaste for the vehicle. "You are learning," he murmured silkily, and she glared at him.

"I may have to keep quiet, but there's plenty of other ways to make trouble without opening my mouth, you know," she muttered sullenly. He just chuckled.

"Your spirit is amusing," he retorted, looking away. It made his heart race, for some unknown reason, but he did not tell her that.

Jane's jaw dropped when she looked up at the building almost directly in front of them, only partially hidden by a cluster of smaller buildings in front of it. An airport.

And finally Jane knew where she was. LA.

Loki held out his arm, and Jane took it reluctantly. She breathed in the musky, humid air of California gratefully.

* * *

As he led her inside the airport departure hall, she almost balked. They were going on an aeroplane. An aeroplane!?

What was she going to have to do to convince Loki not to murder every screaming baby on the flight? Hell, she wanted to kill them after any long amount of time, what would he do?

Loki glimpsed her nauseous look at the hordes of human families and holidaymakers, and chuckled. "Fear not, darling," he drawled, as a suited figure hurried towards them. "Barton has many contacts."

"Mr and Mrs Marlow. Right this way please," the airport rep smiled obsequiously and gestured for them to precede him. Jane stared, then forced herself not to as his words sank in. She was being forced to pretend to be Loki's wife.

"You complete and utter-" she began out of the corner of her mouth, as they bypassed check-in and security entirely. Loki's hand tightened around hers warningly.

"Now, now dear," he chuckled when she narrowed her eyes at him. "Just wait until we get to the hotel…"

Jane growled inwardly. "You wish," she hissed, turning away, as the oblivious rep led them through several grey corridors and to a side door that led into the VIP lounge. All glass walls and luxurious leather sofas, Jane stopped, arrested by the sight of herself in the glass.

She definitely did not look like that. Her hair was a lank, tangled mess, her clothes were torn and dirty, and she knew she had to have shadows under her eyes. But that was not the sight that met her eyes.

Instead, she saw a slender, petite young woman with long blonde hair and tanned skin, her body clothed in a black catsuit and dark green linen blazer. An engagement ring and a wedding ring flashed on her left hand.

Loki was unrecognisable in their reflection, as a curly-haired giant with blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes that still couldn't hide their chill. He was in a dark suit that looked far too good for Jane's peace of mind.

"Your flight will be ready to depart shortly. In the meantime, please make yourself comfortable," the rep inclined his head again, and left them in the deserted lounge. Jane sank onto one of the sofas, eying her silent companion as he prowled to one of the large windows, staring out at the runway.

"Why are we going to Germany?" she asked. Loki merely held up his hand, beckoning her to his side. Reluctantly, she went, until she was shoulder to shoulder with him. His arm slid out, twining with her waist, and she recoiled. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Jane," he hissed warningly. "Play your part, _darling_, or I will punish you."

Jane glared, but allowed his hand to settle on her hip, possessively. She swore to herself if it went south, she'd knee him in the groin and damn the consequences. But he seemed content just to hold her, pulling her sideways slightly until she was pressed against him, his eyes fixed on the planes as they landed and took off.

"Humans," he breathed softly, catching Jane's attention. "Such ingenuity yet you do so at the cost of your world. Sometimes it surprises me you have survived this long without guidance."

Jane rolled her eyes. "If this is just going to be more 'you-poor-humans-you-need-to-be-ruled rubbish, spare me," she muttered. "We're doing fine by ourselves, thank you very much."

"Such fire against what is inevitable," Loki sighed, turning to her and raising her hand. "And then, it is not so surprising after all."

Jane was floored. He smirked ruefully, and raised her hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. Her breath hitched, and her hand clenched in his grip, but Jane was too spellbound by the look in his eyes.

They were emerald again.

He smiled, seductively, and bent his head again to her wrist, this time pressing a kiss to her racing pulse. Jane felt the heat of his tongue against her skin, for a short second, then he released her wrist, although his eyes held hers hypnotically.

"You tremble, my lady," he breathed. "Could it be that the prospect of becoming my Queen is not as unpalatable as you claim? How does it feel, to know you desire the kiss of a monster?"

Jane stared at him, stunned beyond words. If her jaw had dropped, it'd be at the planet core by now. Her wrist burned. "Is that what you truly think you are?" she asked, in a quiet, sad whisper, once she'd recovered. The implications of his words, of that kiss, she shoved away for later. She didn't want to think about that now.

Loki's eyes searched hers, and she felt her lungs seize at the look in them. Broken, pained…

"Your flight is ready, Mr and Mrs Marlow," the rep was back again, and Jane glanced towards him, almost in consternation.

Why did she feel like she'd been on the verge of something? And the question was, did she want to know in the first place?

* * *

When she met Loki's eyes again as they followed the rep out onto the tarmac, the wind blowing Jane's hair about wildly, they were a solid blue once more.

Jane didn't know much about luxury. She'd come from an ordinary family, and a life as an astrophysicist in academic exile in New Mexico wasn't exactly full of it either. Neither had working for SHIELD.

She didn't even know Lear jets had showers.

The hot water against her skin was heavenly, and she luxuriated in it. It was the first shower she'd had since this whole mess had started.

Opening her eyes, ducking out of the spray, she shut it off and carefully trudged to the mirror in the small but lavishly appointed bathroom. She'd never be able to fly coach again.

For a moment, she felt guilty about enjoying it all, when James and Barton and the others were helplessly enslaved to Loki, and the prospect of world domination drew ever closer.

She shoved it away. Guilt wasn't a rational emotion in this situation, not if she wanted to survive. And she just took a shower, it wasn't like she was sleeping with the enemy.

She flinched away from the thought as remembered sensations swept over her, of his lips against her knuckles, his tongue against her wrist.

Another thing she couldn't think about if she wanted to survive.

Instead she focussed on what he'd said, in that charged moment when they were so close, alone and unwatched.

He thought himself a monster. Recalling the little drama the Tesseract had shown her, Jane frowned.

If he was a Frost Giant, was that why he thought himself a monster? If so, why? Thor had never been very forthcoming on that particular subject, other than Frost Giants were an enemy of Asgard, and all the Realms apparently.

Was that the nub of it all? The reason why Loki did all the things he did, and had done? No, it wasn't just that.

Jane's instincts were screaming it was something much deeper, much more complex, that this was just part of a whole. It explained Loki's ruthlessness perhaps, his apparently remorseless ability to kill. If he saw himself as a monster, then why not act like one?

And when she had thrown Thor at him earlier, in the tunnels, he had not reacted. He was a good liar, the God of Lies, but somehow Jane sensed he wasn't lying then. No, this whole subjugation of Earth thing wasn't about Thor and Loki's jealousy. Or not _**entirely**_ about jealousy.

There was something deeper driving Loki. And Jane suspected the key lay in finding out what.

* * *

Jane dressed herself back in her old clothes reluctantly, leaving her wet hair down as she wandered out into the small lounge area. The aircraft vibrated softly beneath her bare feet, smooth and turbulence free.

Since takeoff, she hadn't seen hide nor hair of her captor. He'd suggested she clean herself up while she had the opportunity, then left her in this smaller lounge off the main one. Glancing at the sofa bolted to the floor, she guessed it was probably meant as a sofa-bed thing if the passengers wanted a nap.

Then she noticed a swath of silk lying across it and blanched. "You have got to be kidding me," she breathed.

"Oddly enough, I am rarely in the habit of doing so lately, despite my reputation," a familiar voice drawled from the doorway, and Jane turned with fire flashing in her eyes, ready to yell at him, until she stopped dead at the sight of him.

Gone was his armour and leathers, and in their place was an exquisitely tailored black suit, with a crisp white shirt and simple but elegant black tie. An intricately patterned green and gold scarf hung nonchalantly around his neck. His dark hair gleamed, looking less stringy than before, and the shadows beneath his eyes were lessened.

His smirk was playful, as his eyes gleamed. Jane recovered herself, mentally kicking her hormone into touch, and folded her arms. He eyed her with a sigh.

"You are going to wear that, Jane," he murmured. "Whether you like it or not."

"And where are we going that means I have to dress up?" she asked, scathingly. "I'm not a doll, Loki."

"Dress and I'll tell you," he offered suavely, and she glared.

"If I wait, I'll find out anyway," she retorted, and he straightened, walking towards her seductively.

"That you may," he conceded. "But if you do so, you will be forced to undergo the humiliation of having me dress you like a child. Your choice."

Jane stared at him. He wouldn't…?

He leaned in, his lips grazing her ear. "Oh I assure you, sweetling, I would and take pleasure in doing so," he whispered, and she fought hard to suppress the shiver rushing down her spine. "Although something tells me you might not find the experience as so much a humiliation than a pleasure also."

Jane stared at him, and he chuckled, that low, sensuous laugh she'd heard before, brimming with mischief and charm. His eyes flamed and she wanted so badly to step away. Surely he was bluffing…?

As for his comment about it being pleasurable for her too…she was not even going there.

His eyes held hers, and it became a battle of wits, as Jane waited, tense and strung tight, ready to snap. His eyes held hers intently, and his smile grew with every moment, going from charming and amused to predatory in only a few moments.

Jane's fists clenched. "Tell me why we're going to Germany, and I'll get dressed," she conceded, and Loki's eyes gleamed triumphantly.

"I told you, I have business there," he told her silkily. "And a point to prove."

Jane's brow furrowed, but she was forced to give in. "That is so evasive, I don't even know where to start," she muttered, turning away and tugging her shirt over her head. She moved towards the sofa, when she suddenly felt his heat against her back, pressing into her, and she shuddered, half-bent over as she was.

She gasped when she felt his lips at her ear, whispering impishly. "I am called Silvertongue for a reason, my Jane," he breathed, as one hand appeared at her shoulder, caressing the bare swell beside the strap of her camisole, before it trailed down the muscle, over her forearm to her wrist, pulling it away from the dress and back up. She was pulled upright with her wrist, and then forced herself to meet his gaze over her shoulder as he bent his mouth to her, once again, racing pulse. He kissed it once, his tongue flicking the slight hollow between her wrist bones, and then he was gone, leaving Jane shaking and confused in his wake.

* * *

Loki looked up when the door to the lounge opened, and Jane stepped through. And despite himself, he had to fight to control the surge of lust and surprise that sprang up inside of him.

The dress fitted to perfection, as he had known it would, it was created by his magic after all, but in it, Jane was truly a Goddess in mortal form. The dark purple silk clung to her slender figure, in a style he noticed was popular on Midgard. The plunging neckline showcased her alabaster skin perfectly, the sharply descending 'V' edged with diamonds. A shawl of the same colour trailed from one elbow, the milky skin of her bare arms and shoulder gleaming in the soft light of the cabins. Her long hair, dried and free, was wavy and loose against her collarbone.

She truly looked Queenly, fair and regal. She was lovely enough when in her ragged shirts and 'jeans', but here, now, she was ravishingly beautiful. Unleashed and free, she exuded it as unconsciously as he suspected she was unconscious of her intellect.

He didn't bother denying the lust he felt anymore. He had felt it for awhile, possibly since first entering her dreams to influence her work, to further his goals; and when he'd told her he would make her his Queen, he meant in all ways. By his side and in his bed.

He had almost lost control in the airport terminal. Her fire and the defiance sparking in her amber eyes had been too much, and he had allowed himself a small lapse. Just a taste of what would come, when he was victorious.

He would show her the truth of humanity, and of SHIELD. And when she realised it, he would welcome her, bruised and no doubt shaken, into his welcoming arms. He would have her, forever.

With that thought at the forefront of his mind, blotting out all others, even that of his conquest and Thanos, he stood and held out his hand commandingly. With only the slightest hesitation, she came to him, and he released her hand to place his own on the bare plane of her back, warm beneath his palm.

"I promise you this, Jane," he murmured, leading her to a seat as the seatbelt lights switched on around the main cabin. "All will soon be revealed. Only a little while longer to wait, my Jane."

She glared up at him, before buckling in. "I am no one's Jane," she hissed. "Not yours, not Thor's, not anyone's."

"Not yet," he whispered, with a heated smile. "But you will be mine. That is one promise I will make you, Jane Foster."

* * *

As soon as they stepped off the Lear jet, they were ushered through the airport, again without going through Customs or Passport control. Barton was good.

Jane had to force herself not to hold herself apart from Loki when he took her hand again. The events of the day had unsettled her, shoved her off-balance, and she didn't need any more confusion from him. The heated, fell promise she'd seen in his eyes when he had told her he would make her his had sent heat pooling in her stomach just as surely as it had horrified her.

That was never going to happen. SHIELD would find them, or Thor would come. Could he come…?

The Bifrost was gone, but maybe…there had to be a way. The Aesir were the most powerful race in the Universe, there had to be a way.

They drove away from the airport in a taxi cab, and Jane squinted at the road signs as they flashed past, finally catching one. Stuttgart.

They were in Stuttgart.

It dropped them off in a square, packed with people enjoying the warm weather and dining out. Directly opposite them, after a small plaza, was a large, classical building, lit up with golden lights and festooned with drapes advertising some kind of exhibition. Jane couldn't read German, but she guessed that much.

But why?

Loki's hand once more pressed against her back, and she steeled herself for the physical shock, glad of it when it came. His hand guided her forward, past the admiring glances of several young men loitering in the bars dotting the square. He was unhurried, clearly not in a rush, as they meandered around the small square, drawing closer to the museum.

"Why are we here?" she asked quietly, and he glanced at her impatiently. They stopped for a moment while several cars and limousines pulled up, depositing their ornately dressed occupants before driving off.

"Wait and see, my inquisitive one," he breathed, tucking her hand firmly into the curve of his elbow and pulling her on. He didn't walk towards the red carpet, despite the fact they blended in perfectly with the richly dressed guests, but around the side, into the shadowy alleyways either side, in the gaps between buildings, until Loki found a fire door.

With a wave of his hand, his magic froze the alarm, and they slipped in as the door crumpled under Loki's superior strength. Jane gasped as his grip turned bruising, as he propelled her indoors.

She spotted the security guard before he did, and her instinctive warning had him spinning in seconds to knock the security guard back against a wall. He strode over to his prone opponent, but Jane rushed to his side, once the shock dissipated.

"No, don't!" she hissed, grabbing his arm. "Don't kill him."

Loki eyed her, taking in her distress, before glancing back at his assailant. With a mental shrug, he turned away.

With another surge of magic, his Sceptre appeared in his hand, before shrinking down into an intricately crafted cane, the blue jewel gleaming at its crest.

"As you wish, my lady," he breathed, and surprise filled her warm doe eyes. "Shall we?"

Breathless and still reeling, Jane put her hand in his and allowed him to lead her away.


	8. Strife In Stuttgart

Lost Before The Dawn

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Warnings: Some violence. (This is Loki we're talking about, my dears…)

Chapter Playlist: 'String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor D: 804, "Rosamunde": I. Allegro ma non troppo' by Schubert and 'Subjugation' from 'Avengers Assemble'.

* * *

'_Is it better to be loved rather than feared, or vice versa? The answer is that one would prefer to be both, but since they don't go together easily, if you have to choose, it's much safer to be feared than loved.'_

_- __**The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli**_

* * *

_Königsstraße, Stuttgart, Germany_

The sound of a string quartet reached Jane's ears, as she walked through several deserted corridors at Loki's side, her skirt _swishing_ against his trouser leg.

She was still reeling from the events of the past few minutes. She had stopped him killing that security guard. He'd willingly given in when she had asked him. He'd allowed her to influence him.

She almost felt giddy at the knowledge, but she sternly told herself not to pop the cork on the champagne bottle yet. One security guard, that was all.

It wasn't like she had persuaded him to give up this whole planetary domination thing. No, one security guard did not a redeemed person make.

But she felt a small surge of warmth inside of her, and tucked it away, refusing to dwell on it all.

The evening was still far from over.

The violins grew louder, as they passed from what looked like staff areas into the main exhibition areas of the building, and Jane's supposition that they were in a museum was proven correct.

"Tell me, Jane," Loki broke the tense silence between them, and she looked up, the sound of his cane _clinking_ on the marble floor before them. "If I were to ask you whether it is better to be feared or loved, how would you answer?"

"Loved," she replied instantly. "I would rather be loved."

"So quick to answer, my dear," he chuckled. "A foolish, if idealistic, sentiment."

"Why?" she asked. "Fear keeps you alone, stops anyone from trusting you, or you trusting them."

"Ah but fear at least is safe. Love is fickle and untrustworthy as a snake," Loki replied. "All too often, it changes like the wind. Surely the pain of such a change is not worth such a paltry risk?"

"It doesn't always change," she retorted. "And not all change is bad. Sometimes, it can make it stronger instead of weaker. And like I've said before, respect founded on fear won't last. We will always fight."

They emerged onto a long gallery as Jane said those words, and with a sinking feeling in her stomach, she saw below them a glittering array of people, all gathered around the steps at the other end of the gallery, on which a man stood, talking in fluent German.

"We shall see, my sweetling," he smiled, almost indulgently. He released her hand and she eyed him nervously.

"What are you going to do? Why are we here, Loki?" she asked warily. He smiled, reaching out a hand to her face.

"You look beautiful tonight, Jane. I will ensure tonight, that even as mankind will fear me, they will love you as you desire," he whispered, as his fingers caressed the curve of her cheekbone. Despite herself, Jane felt her eyelids flutter as his cool palm pressed against her cheek, his thumb drifting over her lower lip. "You will be safe. Don't be afraid."

"I'm not," Jane opened her eyes, looking up at him entreatingly. She didn't know what he was going to do, but she dreaded it. His eyes flashed green. "You don't have to do this, Loki. You don't."

"I do," he replied, ensnaring her hand and kissing it once. Jane felt a flare of cold air against her back, and almost jumped out of her skin when she turned to face a double of Loki, watching her intently, before spinning to face the original. "Never fear, my dear. I'll still be on hand to keep you out of mischief."

"I'm thrilled," Jane muttered sarcastically, as the real Loki turned and walked away. She moved to the gallery balcony, peering down and over, feeling Loki's double move with her.

* * *

Heart racing, she gripped the cold marble railing, as she glimpsed Loki walking between pillars, towards the stairs leading down to the lower level. Loki's double pressed close behind her, hedging her with its arms, and she shivered.

"What are you going to do?" she asked. His lips caressed her ear, his breath warm against her skin.

"Like I said on the plane, dearest Jane. Business and proving a point," he murmured. She glanced over her shoulder at him suspiciously, quickly pushing aside thought of what had just passed. "Watch as the humans fall before me."

"You and your inferiority complex," Jane muttered to herself. "Nutcase."

Loki's double chuckled against her hair, before he gestured to the scene below them. She looked down with a renewed sense of dread.

She watched as Loki emerged from the archway, flipped his cane over in his hand and as the security guard turned towards him, he knocked him down with a lethal blow to the head.

Pandemonium ensued.

Jane watched, horrified, as Loki grabbed the speaker, hauling him across the room to an altar carved to resemble a bull's head, and flipped him onto its surface. He pulled an odd metallic contraption from his coat pocket, and flicked it on, three small blades beginning to rotate with a sinister _whirr_. He plunged it into the old man's eye.

Instinct made her cry out, as everyone screamed. "No," she cried, spinning and looking up entreatingly at the double who watched her piercingly, and she knew Loki below would hear her too. "Don't do this. You're killing him."

"I won't kill him. He will live, granted he receives medical attention soon," the double replied coolly. "Keep watching, Jane."

Trapped between the railing and the double's body, she was forced to turn back and watch the sickening display below. As people screamed and ran, she watched the slow, sly smile grow on Loki's face, his eyes glowing with anticipation, his eyes never looking bluer than they did now.

"See how they run," the double whispered in her ear. "Your precious humanity. See how they run from me. Not so brave now, are they?"

Jane's hands clenched into fists, and tears blurred her vision. For a moment, it was like something else spoke through Loki, and she shivered.

"What are you?" she breathed, turning to look at him, at those cold blue eyes. The double wavered and disappeared, and she span back to meet Loki's eyes as he left the old man for dead.

"Come with me, Jane," he called. "The evening's festivities are not yet done."

* * *

Jane rushed down the gallery, and down the stairs as Loki walked away, his entire body glowing a bright shade of gold. Glancing at the retreating God, Jane hesitated and then rushed over to the prone security guard, unhooking the radio from his belt.

Ignoring the steady flood of German coming from the earpiece, she rushed back to the man Loki had injured, and struggled not to throw up as bile rose in her throat at the sight of him, his left eye seemingly mangled beyond repair. She checked his pulse, still there, just.

"I need an ambulance here!" she called into the radio. "Two men are injured. Send an ambulance."

She heard an explosion outside, and a squeal of tortured metal. _Loki_.

She dropped the radio and rushed outside.

* * *

When Jane made out of the museum, she felt her heart pound with fear and shock. Loki's elegant suit had disappeared, replaced by gleaming golden armour that she had never seen him wear before. A shining golden, horned helmet sat proudly on his head and the Sceptre was fully extended in his hand. Before him, dozens of people knelt, eyes downcast, many shaking as Loki conjured doubles to hem them in, like cattle in a pen.

He turned and smiled when he heard her run up, panting, hair dishevelled and eyes wide with tears and fear.

She stopped, staring at him, as he turned back. "Kneel before me. I said, KNEEL!" he shouted, so loud and deafening that Jane flinched from the sheer menace and command in his voice.

"Do you not see, Jane?" he called to her, holding out his hand to her. "Do you not see how frightened your people are, how easily they bow to me?"

"Stop this now, Loki!" she shouted, suddenly enraged beyond comprehension. "Enough!"

He shook his head, as she took a step back from him, his doubles ensuring that the people before him did not move. "You disappoint me, Jane," he murmured, almost seductively. "My sweet, stubborn little mortal. Will nothing shake your faith?"

"I've seen the best of humanity, and the worst. I see it every day. Making a bunch of people kneel in a square like a playground bully won't change that!" she snapped.

"How you fight and rile against what is inevitable, my dear," he shook his head, swinging his hand out wide to encompass his hostage audience, all watching the two of them fearfully. "Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state?"

"No," Jane breathed, as he drew close, and she refused to walk back from him any further. He eyed her intently, and despite all she had witnessed, her body was on fire.

"It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation," he murmured, so seductively that Jane felt her knees weaken. Anger raged inside of her, but he oozed seduction and sincerity, the contrasting, juxtaposing elements effortlessly mixing in his voice and eyes, silvery blue and shining with madness and power. He spoke only to her, but the entire crowd was spellbound. When he spoke next, he spoke like someone enticing a reluctant lover, and Jane fought the urge to nuzzle into his palm when he cupped her cheek. "The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made…to be ruled."

Jane shut her eyes as he bent his head and kissed her forehead, his lips lingering on her skin, before he drew back and looked down on her, almost pleadingly. "In the end, you will always kneel, Jane. Accept me as your King, as your lord and master," he murmured.

"This isn't loyalty. You can intimidate us all you want, but we will never be loyal to you," she murmured brokenly, shaking her head.

For a moment, a single shining moment, something broke through the icy blue of his eyes, an emerald shine, and his face softened from its insane mask. "Jane…" he breathed, so quietly she could barely hear him. She was so immersed in the green of his eyes, pleading, entreating, that she watched it suffused by mad, eerie blue, as the jewel in the Sceptre glowed, and something clicked.

His face hardened, and his voice dripped with anger and menace. "Kneel for me now, Jane," he growled. "I have won."

"No," Jane replied, quietly but equally as firmly. She took a step back and lifted her jaw. "I'll never kneel to you, Loki. Never."

Silence fell, thick and tense, and Loki raised the Sceptre. Jane didn't flinch, just met and held his eye, as he paused. Her heart stopped, and the world seemed to slow to a standstill.

She thought of all she had seen and learned and guessed in the past few days, and that knowledge burned brightly inside of her, particularly when added to the knowledge she'd gleaned only seconds ago.

He wouldn't hurt her. Some part of him, some part buried deep within, would not allow his madness to harm her.

Loki's eyes burned green. The deadly tip of the Sceptre wavered, began to lower…

* * *

"Hey! Move away from the girl!" an unfamiliar voice cried, and both Jane and Loki looked round to see a man in a blue, red and white jumpsuit stride through the crowd. He threw a large, concave shield towards them, just as he shouted. "Get down, Miss!"

Instinctively Jane threw herself to the side, rolling until she hit a flowerbed, groaning as her ribs complained.

She looked up, to see Loki driven down to one knee, before he looked up with a snarl at the newcomer.

"You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing," the newcomer called, almost tauntingly as Loki stood, lethally graceful and Jane almost shouted a warning at him. Loki was not to be trifled with.

She dimly remembered summers spent at her grandparents, and her Grandpa telling her stories about a war hero who used a shield like that. Captain America.

"The soldier," Loki laughed, hefting the Sceptre. "The man out of time!"

"I'm not the one whose out of time," the Captain replied, just as a jet dropped from the clouds, one Jane vaguely recalled as a quinjet.

An unfamiliar female voice rang out across the square as a gun slotted down from the hull of the jet. "Loki, drop the weapon and stand down."

Loki didn't hesitate. He fired off a bold of energy at the jet, forcing it to veer sideways to avoid it. The Captain threw his shield, hitting Loki in the face.

The Aesir didn't even flinch.

Jane watched in horror as the two fought back and forth, becoming increasingly clear to Jane that while the Captain was strong and agile, he couldn't match Loki.

Loki forced the Captain down, and pinned him with his Sceptre. "Kneel," he growled.

"Not today!" the super-solder snarled, forcing the shaft off his neck and spinning into a kick.

* * *

Frantically Jane looked around for some kind of help, hell she'd even take Barton, before rock music suddenly began playing and she stopped, looking up as something she'd only ever seen on the news fly in from between two buildings and fire two shots from the repulsors in its hands.

The Iron Man. Tony Stark.

Stark landed, glancing at her, as she watched him warily, before glancing at Loki, sprawled out across the steps of the square.

"You alright there, lady?" he asked, and she nodded, before he turned away, raising his hands again as the Captain recovered his shield and both advanced on Loki.

"Make your move, Reindeer Games!" Stark called, raising his hands as compartments opened on his shoulders, revealing an impressive arsenal of weaponry, all aimed to Loki. Loki raised his hands, his armour disappearing in a flash of gold to reveal his usual ensemble, his eyes fixed on Jane intently, making her shiver as she stood, clutching her aching side. She almost thought she glimpsed concern in his eyes. "Good move."

The Captain rushed across to Jane, and helped her stand. "You ok, Doctor Foster?" he asked.

"I'm fine."

"Mr Stark," the Captain turned and inclined his head to the Iron Man, who inclined it back as he retracted his arsenal, and the quinjet circled round to land.

"Captain."

While the two exchanged curt greetings, Jane couldn't take her eyes off Loki. His eyes lingered on her, first on her ribs, then on her face, the colour of his eyes changing like quicksilver.

She shivered, and wondered why instead of a defeat, this just felt like exactly what Loki wanted.


	9. Long Time, No See

Lost Before The Dawn

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Warnings: None.

Chapter Playlist: 'Science and Magic' from 'Thor' and 'Aslan Appears' from 'Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'.

* * *

'_Stab the body and it heals, but injure the heart and the wound lasts a lifetime.'_  
_**- Mineko Iwasaki**_

'_It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.'  
__**- William Blake**_

* * *

Jane had never been on a Quinjet before. It was silent, gliding through the night as gracefully as a bird of prey. She was buckled into one of the chairs welded to the floors, her flimsy dress covered by a SHIELD issue jacket, thrust at her by Agent Romanoff.

She had only seen the flame-haired agent once before, on one of Fury's visits, and even then there had been something about her that had disturbed Jane.

But not even the barely hidden flash of suspicion in Romanoff's eyes had been enough to distract her from the cool blue eyes watching her every move opposite.

Loki sat in the seat opposite, strapped in tightly. Jane had little doubt he could break free in an instant. He seemed completely at ease, nonchalant, as he reclined in the chair, ignoring the wary glances from the Captain and Stark up front.

He had to be up to something. Even though she bet Stark's repulsors hurt, she somehow didn't think that would have been enough to stop him in his tracks completely.

She shifted, wincing as her ribs twinged, and she felt his gaze sharpen, like a knife being dragged over her skin, taunting but not cutting. She shuddered, and raised her eyes to his.

She saw him smirk a little, before he extended his fingers, subtly and almost too slight a movement to see properly, and Jane had to fight back a gasp as the familiar sensation of warmth trickled over her side, washing away the pain. His eyes gleamed, and her heart pounded even as she put all her suspicion and her anger into her look, as if she could communicate with him telepathically.

_I know you're planning something…_

She fought back a flinch when his voice came, seductive and wry in her head.

_Wait and see, sweetling. Wait and see…_

Lightning crashed outside, interrupting Jane and Loki's silent battle of wills. Jane was immersed so deeply in his eyes that she saw the sudden unease, as his focus shifted away from her, and he glanced up, towards the flashes of the stormy sky outside the Quinjet's windows.

"Where's this coming from?" she heard Romanoff mutter quietly, as Jane leant forward, gazing out at the dark clouds amassing above and around them. When she glanced back at Loki, that unease raged in his eyes and he seemed almost…afraid.

It seemed she was not the only one, as the Captain called over to Loki. "What's the matter? Scared of a little lightning?" he asked coolly, and Jane watched Loki intently.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows," was all he replied, smoothly and unruffled by the contempt in the Captain's voice, but that unease was still there as he glanced back up at the sky, then at Jane as she watched him.

The Quinjet shuddered as it hit a patch of turbulence, then it shook violently as something collided with the hull, with a dull _clang_. A bird…?

The thought filtered in as Jane was shoved back into her seat by the hit. That was no bird.

Stark leapt into action, covering his head with his helmet, the gold and scarlet metal sliding into place as he opened the cargo doors. A figure appeared that made Jane freeze, her breath caught in her throat.

Thor.

His golden hair was longer than she remembered and the wind made his long scarlet cloak ripple behind him. Mjolnir _clanged_ against the landing ramp, as Thor, unaffected by the wind or gravity seemingly, rose from his crouch, his eyes instantly going to his brother.

Jane didn't know what to feel. Joy or anger, both warred inside her.

She heard Loki gasp and recoil, and turned to look at him but Thor hit Stark in the chest with Mjolnir, sending him flying back into the Captain, before grabbing Loki by the neck and yanking him free of his restraints. Jane's shout was drowned out by the wind, as her eyes darted between the two, as Thor met her eye and smiled, just a little.

Mjolnir spun in his hand, and then they were both gone, leaving Jane behind.

"Now's there that guy!" Stark sighed, as he clambered to his feet.

"Another Asgardian?" Romanoff called questioningly from the cockpit, trying to steady the jet through the turbulence.

"Think the guy's a friendly?" the Captain asked, pulling himself upright.

"Doesn't matter. If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract's lost!" Stark retorted.

"Wait!" Jane shouted, freeing herself from her restraints. "That was Thor. He's on our side!"

"Thor? As in Loki's brother?" Romanoff eyed her over her shoulder.

"Great, that's all we need," Stark sighed. "Brotherly love."

"Stark, we need a plan of attack!" the Captain called as Stark marched towards the landing ramp.

Stark barely bothered to glance back over his shoulder. "I have a plan. Attack!" he blasted off, disappearing into the clouds. The Captain sighed in frustration, before grabbing a parachute from a rack.

"What are you doing?" Jane asked, eyes wide. The Captain smiled reassuringly at her. "You're not going down there?"

"I'll be fine, Miss," he assured her.

"She's right, Cap. You might want to sit this one out," Romanoff agreed from the cockpit. "These guys come from legend, they're basically Gods."

"I've seen what they can do," Jane added. "You do not want to get in the middle of that. Thor won't let Loki escape."

"Whoever he is, Miss, we're under orders to bring Loki in. I've got a job to do. They're not Gods, Miss. There's only one of those, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that!" the Captain grinned once, before diving off the ramp and into the darkness. Jane watched him go, the wind plucking at her hair, when Romanoff's curt voice cut through her reverie.

"You might want to sit down and buckle up, Foster. I need to find a landing spot!"

Taking a deep breath, inwardly reeling from the events of the last few minutes, Jane sat back down, unaware of the broken straps flapping against her arm where Thor had torn Loki free from it only seconds before.

* * *

Loki's world narrowed down to one of sensation. The chill of the Midgardian wind rushing through his hair from their flight, Thor's hand like a chain around his throat, and then the backbreaking agony of the mountaintop against his spine as Thor threw him to the ground.

He laughed and groaned in equal measure. If Thor believed something as paltry as throwing him around would be enough to cow him…

The familiar anger and pain that were his constant companions welled up within him, but he restrained them easily. Centuries in the Aesir court and long months under Thanos's hand had taught him the art of restraint.

Instead of shouting out his rage to the universe, as he ached to do, or of yielding to the torrent of conflicting emotions within him, Loki settled for a taunting laugh. Such a show of nonchalance would annoy Thor more than any anger or aggression.

"Where is the Tesseract?" his former brother growled lowly, making Loki chuckle again.

"I missed you, too," he muttered laughingly.

"Do I look to be in a gaming mood?" Thor snapped warningly, hefting Mjolnir as he stood over Loki. Just like the last time he had seen him.

"You should thank me!" Loki retorted, pulling himself upright with difficulty. He didn't see the flash of concern in Thor's eyes, beneath the anger, as he struggled upright. Neither the boy soldier's blows, nor the metal man's silly little weapons had hurt him badly, but Thor's strength was another matter. He could feel a bruised rib or two repairing itself, as he laboriously forced himself upright, pouring as much scorn into his words as possible to make up for his momentary weakness. "With the Bifrost gone, how much dark energy did the All-Father have to muster to conjure you here? Your precious Earth!"

For a moment, Jane slipped to the forefront of his mind, her wide eyes and dishevelled hair as she had watched Thor take him from the Quinjet. A part of him felt some satisfaction that there had been no softness in her eyes when she had looked at Thor, only shock and concern.

His brother was in for a big surprise, when they were reunited. His appearance on Earth was not unexpected nor all that problematic. It was only a matter of time before Heimdall reported his activities, and informed the All-Father. He was just slightly surprised that the All-Father had used such unstable forces to send Thor. He must be worried.

A savage pleasure welled up within him at the thought, overwhelming any other emotion, as Thor grabbed him, dropping Mjolnir with a resonant _clank_, and pulled him upright.

His once-brother held him close by the neck, making Loki want to shove him away. Such closeness was unnerving, and he rarely allowed anyone to get too close to him anymore.

_Except Jane…_

The thought filtered in and out, as his anger, black and poisonous, swirled inside him at Thor's words, steeped in pain and disbelief. "I thought you dead."

"Did you mourn?" he asked contemptuously.

"We all did. Our father-" Thor began earnestly, but Loki, his control snapping, held a finger to silence him.

"_**Your **_father." he ground out before shoving Thor away. "He did tell you my true parentage, did he not?"

If anything, Thor's show of brotherly concern was a lie, a deception, to lull Loki back into captivity at the All-Father's feet. Revelations of Loki's birth would only have ensured that Thor's hunt for him would be twice as passionate as heretofore. He could not trust the memories that welled up, of them as boys.

"We were raised together. We played together, we fought _**together**_. Do you remember none of that!?" Thor called entreatingly, following him as Loki took a few steps down the mountaintop where they had landed, the clouds above them masking the moon. A raven cawed as it took flight, and a strange shiver of warmth slivered through him as its beady eye met his, for a second. Thor was cleverer than he gave him credit for, sometimes. His words simply made the memories fighting for dominance within him all the more insidious.

_You are son of no one, Loki of Asgard. All your life is a lie, and your past is insignificant. It makes you weak, pathetic…_

Thanos's voice intruded, piercing, grating, as painful as any torture, as Loki turned, trying to block the memory of it out, as well as the memories Thor sought to evoke.

Nevertheless, his voice was pained, trembling with desolation and sorrow, as he turned to face the man he had loved as a brother. "I remember a shadow. Living in the shade of _**your**_greatness. I remember you tossing me into an abyss, I who was and should be King!" he snarled, before cursing his loss of control and forcing himself to calm.

"So you take the world I love as a recompense for your imagined slights?" Thor asked, as Loki saw and heard only contempt in him. "No, the Earth is under my protection, Loki."

At that ridiculous thought, Loki laughed. "And you're doing a marvellous job with that! The humans slaughter each other in droves as you idly fret! I mean to rule them, as why should I not?"

"You think yourself above them," Thor stated, as Loki stared. Was that not what he had just said?

"Well, yes," he replied. Immediately, Jane sprang to mind, but he pushed it away for the time being. He could ill afford distractions now.

"Then you miss the truth of ruling, brother. A throne would suit you ill!" Thor replied gently, and Loki growled, striking him on the chest as he stalked past. The fool, the arrogant brute, the one who had destroyed peace in the Realms for the mere sake of avenging an insult, and he lectured to him!

"And what of Jane?" Thor continued, stopping Loki in his tracks as he silently turned to look at Thor. The blonde Aesir looked…troubled, uncertain, as he moved forward. "Heimdall told me of your abduction and treatment of her. You did not use your magic to control her. You've protected her, healed her. Do you think her below you?"

Loki's control finally snapped at Thor's impudence, trying to expose his weaknesses. For Jane was that, a weakness, but one he could not rid himself of. Why, he knew not, but his inability to harm her or possess her in the square in Stuttgart proved that.

"I've seen worlds you've never known about!" Loki roared, enraged as he stalked away. "I have grown, _**Odinson**_, in my exile. I have seen the true power of the Tesseract, and when I wield it, all will fall before me! Your precious Jane among them!"

Thor did not react as Loki expected, with anger or defiance, but with disbelief. "You lie, brother."

"I am not your brother. Accept that and leave this world," Loki replied coldly. "I will not hesitate to destroy you otherwise. The power of the Tesseract will be mine and you will not stop me. Not this time."

"Who showed you this power?" Thor demanded, apparently abandoning all pretence of gentility. "Who controls the would-be King?"

"I AM A KING!" he snarled, as Thor grabbed him, nearly shaking him in his anger.

"Not here. You give up the Tesseract, you give up this poisonous dream. You come _**home**_!" the Aesir replied, his voice lowering from roar to plea, as he gripped Loki's face, as he had done when they were boys.

Loki blocked out the memory once more, as pain spiked inside of him.

"I don't have it," he breathed. Thor flung him away with a growl and summoned Mjolnir, hefting it threateningly. "You need the Cube to bring me home, but I've sent it off, I know not where."

"Listen well, brother," Thor pointed at him with Mjolnir. "I-"

Thor's words were lost on the wind, as a streak of red and gold hit him, tackling him off the side of the mountain, leaving Loki behind, staring at an empty space.

"I'm listening."

Loki turned and watched as Thor squared up to Stark, exchanging words he could not hear, before Thor struck him with Mjolnir. The Aesir glanced up at him as the great hammer flew in his hand, and Loki smirked as he sat down on the rocks to watch. He had no intention of going anywhere, and this would be amusing.

* * *

"_Go on, Thor! Stay focussed!" he shouted, as he watched the muscular form of his brother sparring with Volstagg, hair ruffled and muscles straining as the young Prince wrestled the giant. _

_With a roar, Thor threw Volstagg down, throwing his fist in the air as the surrounding warriors laughed and clapped their Prince's victory, but it was to Loki that Thor looked for approval._

_And Loki looked back._

* * *

Loki mentally snarled at himself. He would not allow these momentary weaknesses to stop him, as he watched the fight unfold below. If such behaviour continued, then Fury's precious Avengers would destroy themselves. Once the Tesseract and the Earth were his, these lapses would cease, he was sure of it. He refused to be weak, and let his emotions rule him as they had just done.

The fight only lasted a few minutes before it was halted by the soldier. Loki noted with interest that the Captain's shield was capable of withstanding Mjolnir.

It seemed they had reached some kind of understanding, as he was returned to his seat in the Quinjet, Thor, Stark and Rogers watching him closely, but he did not speak another word.

He felt Jane's worried eyes on him, but did not open his own.

* * *

Jane didn't know what had happened on the mountaintop, only that Stark, Rogers and Thor were treating each other with wary respect when they returned to the Quinjet, Loki in tow, silent and cold. He did not look at her, or anyone, merely closed his eyes and appeared to be asleep, were it not for the tension in his frame and his clenched fists.

Thor turned to her, at last, and smiled gently. "Jane," he breathed, and she looked up at him. "It is good to see you."

Jane's voice was strained as she looked up at him, tall, golden and _**real**_, and felt Loki's attention on her, even as he kept his eyes closed. "Hello, Thor. Long time, no see."

She glimpsed Loki's fist clenching tighter on his lap out the corner of her eye, and wondered why that, not Thor's warm gaze, made her stomach bottom out.


	10. Ends And Means

Lost Before The Dawn

Warnings: None.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Tower Prayers' from 'Snow White and the Huntsman', 'Elizabeth Arrives At Court' from 'The Tudors: Season 3' and 'Arthur and Gwen' from 'Merlin: Series 2'.

* * *

"_A mighty pain to love it is,_

_And 'tis a pain that pain to miss;_

_But of all pains, the greatest pain_

_It is to love, but love in vain." _

_**- Abraham Cowley**_

* * *

The debriefing room was a cold, sterile, steel box ten foot by eight, and Jane hated it. With no windows and the kind of uncomfortable, cheap plastic furniture you saw in documentaries about life in prisons, she felt as trapped as the criminals on the television screen.

Agent Coulson and a female SHIELD agent Jane didn't recognise sat opposite her, eyes fixed unmoving on her face as they questioned her over and over again about her incarceration.

Her answers were the same as the first time. No, she hadn't gone with Loki willingly. No, he hadn't harmed her. No, he hadn't forced her to work on the Tesseract. No, she didn't know what his plan was. No, she didn't know where it was.

Jane was tired and cold, shivering slightly in her flimsy silk gown as she answered Coulson's questions.

"One last time, Miss Foster. You're really expecting us to believe that Loki didn't harm you, didn't threaten you and he didn't try to extract information about the Tesseract from you?" he raised an eyebrow, clearly incredulous. The female agent sighed impatiently.

Jane lost her temper slightly. "No, not a damn thing. He didn't need me," she told them irritably. "Loki knows more about the Tesseract than we could ever know."

"Then why'd he take you?" the woman spoke up, and Jane turned to face her coolly.

She shrugged. "I suggest you ask him," she replied tersely. She didn't mention the parts about Loki wanting her as his Queen.

She hadn't seen him since they'd landed on the helicarrier. He had been marched off, surrounded by armed guards she knew he could destroy in nanoseconds if he wanted to, and she had been ushered in here, away from Thor and the others.

"Director Fury is questioning him," Coulson told her. "Now, one last time and we're done here. Do you have any idea what Loki's plan is? Where he has taken the Tesseract?"

Jane shrugged again. "I haven't got a clue. Why would he tell me anything anyway?" she replied, as the female agent snorted slightly. "What?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes.

"The CCTV would suggest otherwise," the agent replied, folding her arms. "You two looked kind of…cosy."

Jane bristled, losing it once and for all. "Look, I've got a pretty good idea what you're insinuating here, and it doesn't take an astrophysics degree to work it out either. Loki told me nothing, and I know _**nothing**_!"

"Ok, ok, Foster," Coulson raised his hands, in a conciliatory manner, but she could see the doubt lingered in their eyes. "I think we're done here."

"Hallelujah!" Jane rolled her eyes sarcastically. "I would really appreciate a shower and a change of clothes."

"That can be arranged," Coulson replied, before his communications unit sparked into life, and Jane could hear the tinny voice of Director Fury demanding Coulson's presence. He looked at his companion, and she nodded. "Agent Bryce can show you to the locker rooms and get you a change of clothes."

"Thanks," she muttered, as he left with a slighter warmer smile in her direction that she didn't trust as far as she could throw, and left her with Agent Bryce. Silently, the agent led her through the helicarrier and left her in a bathroom. Jane stripped out of the silky gown and her other things with delight, glad of the shower as she stepped into it.

* * *

As she washed herself as quickly as possible, the spray darkening her hair as it grew heavy with water, she felt the events of the past few weeks catch up with her. Before she had just felt angry at SHIELD's treatment of her, now she felt tired. After weeks of captivity, she was free. So why did she feel just as trapped as before, if not more so?

As she finished her shower and grabbed a towel, she wondered where Loki was, and if he was alright. She'd stopped bothering to catch herself when she felt concerned for Loki. Yes, he had hurt and killed a lot of people but that didn't justify SHIELD ill-treating him.

She needed to talk to Thor.

She sensed her only real ally on this thing would be him. There was more to Loki's plans than domination or madness.

When she stepped out into the changing rooms, she found a pile of clothes waiting. Fresh underwear, combat trousers, a t-shirt and jacket, all embossed with the SHIELD emblem. She slipped them on with a sigh of relief, leaving her damp hair down.

As she did up her boots, her thoughts drifted to the golden-haired God. It was obvious that Thor had only come back because of Loki, and the threat he posed, and hadn't she told herself she wasn't waiting for him? What did he expect of her?

And when this was over, he would return to Asgard. One of the things she had realised, as she remembered what the Tesseract had shown her, was that Thor was a creature of duty. His duty would always be to Asgard and she admired that but…it didn't keep a girl warm at night. She couldn't wait for him, didn't want to.

She'd had a life, before Loki and Thor, and magic and aliens and Bifrosts. It was pretty boring but comfortable, and it had a purpose. She'd been fine with it, and although she didn't delude herself into thinking she would be allowed to go back to that life, she needed more than a life of duty, of waiting, of only having half a person.

So, she would gently but firmly tell him no. Besides, she had a funny feeling the dark-haired warrior goddess had a far greater bond with him than she'd ever had, or that he realised. Three days wasn't long enough to destroy that.

Whatever happened, she would tell Thor no.

* * *

Nodding to herself, she finished lacing her boot up, and opened the door of the changing rooms, expecting to find Agent Snooty on the other side.

Instead, Thor waited outside the changing rooms. Jane stopped dead, eyes wide.

"Crap," she muttered. Thor's brow creased as he stood from the bench, the leather of his clothes creaking with the movement.

"Jane? I do not know what 'crap' means but I sense from your face it is not something good. What is wrong?" he asked, holding out a hand. Jane gathered herself and shook her head.

"Sorry, I didn't mean…nothing's wrong. I just wasn't expecting to see you so soon," she replied truthfully. "I thought they'd have you in briefings for hours yet."

He inclined his head. "Son of Coul told me where to find you. Your scientists have gone to their work. For now, there is no work for me," he explained, and for a moment he looked unsure. "Jane, may we walk?"

"Sure," she murmured nervously, stepping out and falling into step beside him. "Where's your brother?"

A strange smile passed across Thor's features as he eyed her curiously, and she fought not to fidget.

"You show concern for him," he murmured, as they walked along the corridors of the helicarrier. "I am not surprised. You were ever compassionate, Jane."

"He is…damaged," she continued, carefully, aware there might be cameras listening in. "Thor, I need to ask you something."

"Anything, my lady," he assured her with a warm smile.

"When you destroyed the Bifrost," she began cautiously, not seeing the amazed look that crossed Thor's face. "When you and Loki were hanging off the edge, did you throw him over or did he let himself fall?"

"How do you know of this?" he began urgently. Jane smirked wryly, glancing down at her boots as they stopped just before they had reached the bridge.

"Loki's got quite a temper, hasn't he? Especially when he's losing an argument," she muttered. "He made me look into the heart of the Tesseract. I think he thought it would…I don't know… 'sway' me to his side or something. It showed me everything that had happened to him. About the Frost Giants and Jotunheim. Please, Thor, tell me what happened," she faced him, a pleading look crossing her face as he stared.

He had not been certain what he would find when he came back to Earth. Heimdall had told them Loki had taken Jane. Reminded of his brother's malicious promise to him during their battle on the Bifrost, he had feared for her then.

Until he had seen, through Heimdall, how Loki cared for her as he cared for no one else. He could barely credit it, but Jane had reached his brother, somehow. Beneath the layers of madness and pain, she had reached the remnants of his brother that remained.

"He fell," he finally spoke, his voice strained as he remembered the bridge and that terrible day. "He called out to our father. Father said no, and then he let go."

Jane nodded to herself. "I know. That's what I saw too," she told him, as he frowned. "But that's not what Loki remembers."

Thor frowned harder, as his brother's words from the mountaintop echoed again in his mind.

"_I remember you tossing me into an abyss! I who was and should be King!"_

"It is the madness talking, and his jealousy," he continued, but Jane shook her head. "Jane?"

"I don't think so, Thor," she argued, folding her arms and looking so defiant, it made Thor smile. She had never been afraid of standing up to creatures with strength ten times that of her own. But within her, she held a strength that could overcome any obstacle, no matter how indefatigable. "I know he's a liar by reputation, but the look in his eyes…he _**believes **_what he's saying. He truly believes you threw him off that bridge."

"But I would never…he is my brother!" he snapped and Jane glowered. He immediately felt ashamed and looked away.

"I wasn't saying it was true," she retorted softly. "Sometimes when I watch his eyes, they change colour. Sometimes they are blue, the same colour as the Tesseract-"

"My brother's eyes are green," Thor frowned, as Jane waved her hand at him impatiently.

"I was coming to that," she muttered. "They change, Thor. And sometimes, when he isn't quite so insane, they're green again. I think…I think something has warped his memories, Thor. Or someone."

"He would not tell me who his ally was, nor who had showed him the power of the Tesseract," he admitted.

"Do you know what happened after he fell?" Jane asked, as they resumed their walk, into the bridge, standing on the main control deck and looking out over the cloudy, night sky.

"I know not. He passed beyond even the sight of Heimdall. We thought him dead until he showed himself on Earth," Thor sighed, glancing down at his clenched fist, sorrow rising up as he thought of his brother, changed beyond all recognition. Jane's soft hand curled over his bicep, and he glanced at her. She was smiling gently, encouragingly at him, her eyes warm.

"Hey, we can get him back," she told him softly. "We just have to stop him first."

* * *

"He plans to lead an army against your people. They are named the Chitauri," Thor told her quietly. "He wants to open another portal."

"He can't, not without it collapsing again, like it did at the base," Jane frowned. "Unless he found some way to stabilise it-"

"That is what your scientists said," Thor chuckled. "Something about iridium and stabilising such a collapse."

"I'm guessing that was what we were in Germany for," Jane mused. "Or Barton was, at least."

"Perhaps you should consult with the Iron Man and Doctor Banner," Thor suggested, and she nodded, eyes far away. He watched her with a sad smile, and sighed. She glanced to him, and he watched a guilty expression wash through her all-too expressive doe eyes.

"Thor…I -" she began awkwardly, but he held up a hand.

"It is alright, Jane. I am sorry I could not keep my promise to you," he told her gently. "But you have moved on, as I knew you must. Your life was never made for waiting."

"It is kind of short," she looked down with a wry grin, but he caught her chin, gently pulling her eyes back up to his.

"No, I did not mean your mortality," he told her. "You, Jane, are not made to be the wife of duty, to always wonder if your mate is coming home or not, to stay behind while others go forth. You should be the one going forth, and you have. I do not doubt you always will."

She looked away, and he let her, both looking out at the night sky as they glided through the clouds. "Maybe once I could've waited," she breathed. "But not now. Everything's changed. You changed everything, when you showed me I had something to go forth to, Thor. Thank you for that."

"Perhaps it would be better if they had not changed," Thor sighed. "We pretend on Asgard that we're more advanced, but we come here, battling like _bilgesnipe!"_

"What?" Jane laughed as Thor looked at her incredulously.

"_Bilgesnipe_. You know, huge, scaly, big antlers." He pantomimed the creature, and Jane struggled to hold back her laughter.

"Kind of sounds like Loki's helmet actually," she muttered, and Thor laughed this time, a short bark that startled several of the SHIELD agents working at their stations.

"Perhaps. Well, they are repulsive and they trample anything in their path," he continued, his eyes growing haunted and Jane herself heard again the explosions and the screeching of metal from Puente Antiguo. "When I was first sent here, Loki's rage followed me here, and you paid the price. And now again."

"It's more than just jealousy this time," Jane replied. "There's something else, something more driving him. And anyway, it's not your fault, Thor. Loki's hang-ups are his and his alone."

"I fear what may happen, Jane," he admitted. Jane watched him, feeling pity swell as he looked so lost and uncertain, reminding her of that time in Puente Antiguo, before the Warriors Three came, and all hell broke loose. "You saw in the Tesseract how I was before I came to Earth. In my youth I courted war, and now I feel only despair that it may come here, at my own brother's hand."

"You were pretty arrogant," she told him. "But you've changed, you've grown up. The fact you no longer see war as a game shows that, Thor. We can do this, we can stop this. It doesn't have to come to war."

Fury's cold, commanding voice broke into their private conversation, and Jane stiffened as she met the eye of the Director for the first time since the attack at the base. "War hasn't started yet," he told them, standing above them on a step, watching them intently, Coulson by his side. "You think you could make Loki tell us where the Tesseract is?"

Horror froze Jane to the spot, as she stared at the Director, anger growing inside her.

She could see it in Thor's eyes too, as he murmured evasively. "I do not know. Loki's mind is far afield. It is not just power he craves, but vengeance. Upon me. There's no pain would prise his need from him."

"A lot of guys think that, until the pain starts," Fury muttered, as he slowly walked down the stairs towards them, and Jane snapped.

"What are you suggesting? Torture him?" she spat, and Fury's eye flicked in her direction impatiently.

"Take your morals elsewhere, Miss Foster. This is an alien hell-bent on taking our world. I'd have thought you'd be the first to see the need to stop him, at all costs."

"Then you're no better than him, and everything he's said about us is true," she snapped heatedly. He glowered at her, and shook his head.

"This is war, Foster. There aren't any ends that can't be justified," he told her icily, and she tensed, ready to retort when he looked to Thor, ignoring her. "The question is, what are _**you**_ prepared to do?"

"You can't ask Thor to torture his own brother!" Jane snarled, just as Thor protested as well.

"Loki is a prisoner."

Fury sighed impatiently. "Then why do I feel like he's the only person on this boat who wants to be here?" he asked, as Jane remembered her suspicions from earlier. Loki had a plan, a reason for being on the helicarrier.

They needed to find out what. In desperation, she spoke up. "Let me speak to him," she offered, as both Thor and Fury froze, eying her like she'd gone mad. "He trusts me a little. I can handle him, just please, let me try before you put him on a goddamn rack!"

Fury stared at her implacably for a few seconds, before nodding. "Alright, Foster. We try the easy way first. You have ten minutes."

Uneasily Jane wondered what she had got herself into, as Thor stared at her in wonder. As she turned and followed Coulson towards the detention area, Thor at her back, she steeled herself.

She could do this. She could beat him.

And in the process, possibly save his probably ungrateful skin.


	11. Two Birds, One Stone

Lost Before The Dawn

Warnings: None

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Mind If I Cut In?' from 'The Dark Knight Rises'

* * *

Jane felt almost physically suffocated as she was marched along, surrounded by SHIELD guards either side, and with Fury and Thor behind her. The labyrinthine corridors of the helicarrier seemed almost oppressively quiet despite the constant thrum of the engines, as SHIELD operatives in their smart blue and black uniforms scurried out of their way.

As they walked, Jane frantically thought. What the hell was she going to say to him?

She was no interrogator, hell she wasn't even very sociable unless the topic of conversation involved Einstein's theory of Relativity, and she had no idea how to get Loki to reveal…anything. He was the God of Mischief and Lies, he'd see through her in a split second. She wasn't cunning enough for this…

All too soon, they were on the detention level, and Jane stared at the large, assault-proof door in front of her like a deer in the headlights. Oh dear…

"Ten minutes, Foster," Fury muttered, as she glanced at him. "Make the most of it."

The door _swished_ open and Jane hesitantly stepped through, glancing over her shoulder just once, catching a glimpse of Thor's face, framed by his golden hair, eyes awash with trepidation and pain, even as he smiled reassuringly. Jane took a deep breath, closed her eyes and turned to face her former captor.

She ascended the steps of the gantry, onto the platform where the large, circular prison sat, with no corners, nowhere to hide from the cameras watching her every move.

And his.

He sat on the padded bench inside, head tilted back as if in complete relaxation, eyes shut. He looked for all the world as if he was asleep, with his legs stretched out and crossed nonchalantly, but Jane wasn't fooled.

"You can cut the act now," she called, stepping close to the armoured glass door locking him in. "I sure as hell ain't buying it."

"Jane," he breathed, smiling a slow, sly grin which made her heart pound, like the mouse before the cat. She folded her arms in what she was very well aware was a defensive gesture, but it made her feel better. It was freezing inside the detention cell. "Well, I must say, this is a most pleasant surprise."

"You must have known they'd send me in," she breathed, and he finally deigned to open his eyes, meeting her gaze with his lazy, malevolent blue eyes.

"On the contrary, I assumed differently. Perhaps Fury is cleverer than I gave him credit for," Loki chuckled, coiling in his long limbs and standing tall. He fixed her with a deep piercing stare, and she clenched her fists where they were safely hidden from view by her arms. "Or perhaps I simply know you too well, Jane Foster."

"You do know me well," she conceded quietly. "Probably better than I know myself at times, so you know I volunteered to come here. You know if you don't tell them what they want to know, they'll torture you?"

"I would expect nothing less," he replied silkily, slowly prowling over to stand in front of her. "I fear I have made our dear Director Fury rather desperate."

"He's just trying to protect this planet from megalomaniacs with delusions of grandeur like you," Jane retorted, and he laughed. A cold feeling washed over her as she realised he was laughing at her, and she instinctively needed to know why. "What?"

"Perhaps, my dearest, you should be considering the megalomaniacs closer to home, as I believe you humans say," he purred, and she frowned. "Surely you didn't think Fury required your intellect and services for inter-dimensional travel?"

"I didn't care, as long as I got what I needed," she admitted, feeling slightly ashamed at her short-sightedness now. He shook his head teasingly, his raven hair shaking slightly with the movement.

"Jane, you disappoint me," he sighed. "Perhaps you should question your so-called saviours before judging me so harshly…"

"Wait a second, stop trying to distract me," Jane snapped, the damage done however. The thought niggled and pricked at her, and she inwardly growled. "Enough with the mind games, Loki."

"Then by all means, Miss Foster, _**interrogate**_ me," he smirked seductively, and she glared at him, making him chuckle. Jane inhaled deeply, digging deep for patience before she met Loki's burning gaze. They were green again.

"Fury's not the only one who's desperate," she began coolly, watching him closely. "That morning I found you, just before we left for Germany, you were scared. I could see it in your eyes-"

"_**DON'T**_," Loki snarled, eying her with considerably less humour now, his eyes grown icy and cold, the luminous green consumed by the burning blue. "Don't try to muddle out things with that puny mortal mind of yours, Jane. You know nothing of what you speak. I am not afraid of anything."

"Liar," Jane replied, as he froze, glaring at her. If looks could kill, she'd be six feet under by now. The silence stretched taut, and Jane felt his gaze prickling over her skin, like red hot silk, and she fought to maintain her act. The slight fear evoked by his change in demeanour roiled inside her, but just like before, during weeks of imprisonment with him, she kept it firmly under wraps. To fear him was to allow him control over her, and that was something none of them could afford. "There's something more driving you than just fear or jealousy though. Something else…"

Loki eyed her, his rage dying slightly, until his familiar smirk reappeared, and he stepped close to the glass, his eyes intent on hers. "My sweet, poor little Jane. Still trying to solve things far above what your mortal mind could conceive…"

Jane bristled. "Hey, you might have prodded me in the right directions a couple of times, but ninety percent of the work I did on the Tesseract was me, so don't even try that one on my, buddy. You might like to think you're superior to us, but one day we will prove you wrong beyond all doubt," she snapped, planting her hands on her hips.

"You tread on dangerous ground, my dear," he whispered, coldly, almost bestially as she held his gaze determinedly.

"I am not afraid of you," she breathed. "And if I ever was, I'd never let it rule me, unlike someone else I could mention."

"I will enjoy taming that spirit of yours when this is over, Jane," he replied, and the seductiveness was back, darkened by the roughness of his low, hypnotic voice, as she unknowingly stepped close, her hands unclenching and falling to her sides.

"And if I was to submit, what then?" she asked, meeting his eye determinedly as confusion swept into his emerald green orbs, and she felt hope rise. "You'd be bored stiff if no one ever challenged you, if no one ever defied you or argued with you. You want the challenge but not the ultimate prize; otherwise you would have just killed me or enslaved me weeks ago."

He watched her intently for a few moments, eyes fixed on hers, before he sighed, smirking. "I must say, Jane, that your interrogative skills are somewhat wanting, even if your intellect is not."

"You love giving out backhanded compliments, don't you?" she shook her head, before meeting his gaze again, raising one hand and pressing it against the cold glass, her fingers splayed against the concave surface. "I don't want to interrogate you," she admitted softly, "I just want to help you."

For a moment, his eyes burned with a kind of pained hope, green completely subsuming the blue, and she could almost feel the warmth of his hand against her palm as he unconsciously raised his own, pressing it against the glass between them.

"Everything I ever cared for was taken from me. Now I shall take it back," he told her softly. "You will belong to me, Jane."

"Don't bet on it," she whispered, as the door opened behind her, and she lowered her hand, stepping back. Her heart sank as she realised she'd failed, that Fury wouldn't hesitate but there was nothing more she could do. With a sigh, she turned and walked out.

* * *

Fury, Coulson and the others were nowhere to be seen, clearly having listened in on their conversation and realised she had failed, but Thor waited for her with a pained smile. She just shook her head and his eyes darkened.

"I feared it would be so," Thor murmured. "In his mind, Loki is the wronged party and nothing will disavow him of that notion."

"No, there's more to it than that," Jane replied, turning and leading the way down the corridor, flanked by SHIELD guards. Thor easily kept stride beside her. "He's being driven by something else, not just desire for something he felt was taken from him but something else. There's something else controlling him, Thor, using his vulnerabilities to guide his actions, making him think they're his own."

"He let slip someone had shown him the power of the Tesseract, when I confronted him on the mountaintop," the God agreed. "So he is little better than the ones he has enslaved himself."

Jane shook her head. "No. He still has his self-will, his ability to make a choice. Whoever's got to him is just a very good manipulator," she replied, not noticing the amused look in Thor's eyes, mingled with a slight trace of anguish as he watched her puzzle over the enigma that was his brother.

"Where are you going?" he asked as he paused at a junction in the myriad, twisting corridors of the helicarrier and she marched ahead.

"To see Banner and Stark. There are some questions I need answers to," she called over her shoulder, as Thor watched her go concernedly. He sighed, turning away, as he contemplated the fact that Jane Foster now belonged to his brother, heart and soul, whether she knew it or not. He hoped for everyone's sake she would never submit, or they would all be lost.

* * *

Jane's mind was whirling as she hurried along, passing Captain America along the way, marching in the opposite direction, his own face troubled. She was too engrossed with her own thoughts to notice.

What had Loki meant when he said she should look at the megalomaniacs closer to home? What was SHIELD doing that Loki knew about, that needed the power of the Tesseract? The official line was some kind of energy project but what the hell was an international spy organisation doing in the energy market anyway? Repaying a debt to society?

Ha!

She knew who would be looking for answers though. Fury had mentioned Banner and Stark were working on locating the Tesseract, and if Loki had let slip something to her about SHIELD's true intentions for the Tesseract, she would bet her life on it that he'd let slip something while Fury questioned him for everyone to see and hear.

She knew of Doctor Banner and Tony Stark, both by reputation as incredible scientists. Banner's theories on gamma radiation, while not her main field, had been inspiring and Stark's inventions had changed the course of human development. Of course she knew of Banner's other side, heard the rumours from Erik and the few scientists who willingly spoke to her.

The door to Banner's lab _swished_ open, and she walked in confidently, refusing to feel intimidated as two pairs of eyes swung away from their workstations to stare at her questioningly, as she paused on the threshold.

"Fury mentioned you were working on locating the Tesseract. Need a hand?" she asked nonchalantly, as Stark eyed her appraisingly.

"Think we got it covered," he replied shortly. "Nice chat with the boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend," Jane replied repressively. Banner smiled at her sympathetically. "Well, have you accounted for the multiple distortions thrown up by the Tesseract's energy field?"

"Yes," Stark muttered confidently.

"And the exclusion field?" she asked next, brows raised as she exchanged an amused glance with Banner, as Stark appeared increasingly annoyed with her questioning. "How about the time-spatial differentiation factor-"

"Yes and yes," Tony snapped, eying her darkly as she just folded her arms and grinned. "I can see why he likes you, Foster. I kind of like you too."

"One megalomaniac is quite enough for me to deal with, thank you very much," Jane quipped, making Banner chuckle, as she held out her hand. "Doctor Jane Foster."

"Bruce Banner," Banner took her hand gently, and she smiled warmly. "I've read your work on the Einstein-Rosen Bridges. Impressively sound."

"Yeah, don't we know it right now," Stark rolled his eyes, bypassing Jane slightly.

"What can we do for you, Dr. Foster?" Banner asked gently, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses. "I'm guessing you didn't come here to help with finding the Tesseract."

"No," Jane smiled. "I think you know why I'm here."

Stark paused, eying her carefully as she watched them both closely, waiting for a sign. When they both just stared at her, she folded her arms again and pointed to one of the touch screens.

"Breaking into SHIELD's secure files to find out what they're really doing with the Tesseract?" she asked.

Stark grinned. "I like her."

* * *

Loki smiled as he watched Agent Romanoff's retreating back, her red curls bouncing as she jogged along, betraying her haste.

Perfect.

"Loki plans to unleash the Hulk, keep Banner in the lab, I'm on my way, send Thor as well…" she paused, just a moment, and he made sure to wipe his smile off his face. "Thank you for your cooperation."

And with that she was gone.

Loki shook his head. Mortals.

Barton had forewarned him of the assassin's skills before they had embarked on this course of action. It was an old game of his, and she was truly a skilled player, the best he had ever encountered but he had been manipulating and bluffing opponents centuries before she was born.

He simply needed her to believe he had lost, let slip too much information in the heat of the moment. And she'd believed it, as he had calculated she would.

Mortals were so predictable. On the other hand…

He hadn't been expecting Jane's manoeuvre. However it had been just the moment he needed to persuade her to investigate SHIELD's true intentions, along with Stark and the monster. And once she discovered the truth, then he would be there to comfort her disillusionment, even as he ensured the Avengers would be no threat to his further conquest.

Two birds with one stone.

For a moment her words to him echoed in his mind, and he closed his eyes as he sat back down on the paltry little bunk in his cell. Her words bit far closer to his heart than anything the Black Widow could have said. She was beautiful and deadly, but hollow, empty, little more than a vessel to be filled with whatever her masters' commanded of her.

Jane was a fire spirit, filled with intelligence and strength, and loyalty enough to never submit to someone she felt was dangerous to those she loved. And truthfully, did he want her to? Was she the one exception to her entire race? She knew he was there by his own will, yet she tried to _**help**_ him…

It was the only way her words could truly have hit so near the mark this time. He was afraid, and that fear churned within him always, ever since he was thrown from the Bifrost.

Damn her, impudent little mortal! He did not need this confusion now. He had to focus if his plan was to succeed. It must succeed, it must.

Earth, and Jane, would soon belong to him forever, as he had never belonged anywhere before. But they would. He would make it so.

As he heard the roar of the monster as it broke free of Banner's mind, he smiled even as concern echoed within him.

He hoped Jane was safe.

* * *

Jane could barely believe what she was seeing. Horror filled her and she shuddered as the truth sank in.

So this was what Loki had meant. She shook her head, willing it to disappear, to not be true, but the evidence stayed before her eyes on the touch screen.

And this was all her fault. If she hadn't handed SHIELD the equations to harness the Tesseract's energy on a silver platter….

_No. No don't do that to yourself. Even if you had refused their offer, they'd have just conned someone else into doing it, and probably confiscated your research into the bargain. This is what Loki wants, to manipulate you, to make you vulnerable. You can't let him win…._

Once more that strange sexless, ethereal voice echoed in Jane's head as she closed her eyes. It was right, but anger still smouldered in her heart as she heard Fury's familiar exasperated tones grated on her ear.

"What are you doing, Mr Stark?"

"Uh, kind of been wondering the same thing about you!" Stark snapped pointedly. Jane opened her eyes and spun to face the Director, glaring at him balefully.

"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract!" Fury retorted, and Jane snapped.

"We are, _**Director**_," she growled, her fists clenched. "In case your one eye failed to notice."

Banner stepped in, with a calming hand on Jane's arm but she could feel the tension building in him. "The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature right now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile."

"Yeah, then you get your cube back, no muss, no fuss," Stark trailed off, his eye drawn to the touch screen in front of him. "What is Phase 2?"

_Over my dead body is SHIELD getting that cube back_, Jane thought defiantly. No way in hell.

No one noticed the entrance of Captain America until he casually put a strange-looking gun down on one of the workbenches, and Jane stared at it.

"Phase 2 is SHIELD uses the Cube to make weapons," Rogers explained, before glancing at the three scientists. "Sorry computers moving a little slow for me."

"Rogers, we gathered everything together related to the Tesseract," Fury replied coolly. "This does not mean-"

Stark brought up a schematic on the display and twisted it round for all to see. "Sorry Nick, what were you lying?"

Fury shut up, sighing deeply, as Rogers stared at him in disgust. "I was wrong, Director. World hasn't changed a bit."

"You would never have let me use my research, would you?" Jane asked, quietly. "All along, this was just one big game and everyone was your pawns."

Fury scoffed at her. "Perhaps you need to go and lie down, Dr. Foster," he replied dismissively. "Perhaps Loki's been influencing you after all."

Jane bristled just as Agent Romanoff and Thor walked in, Thor's eyes flying to hers questioningly, concern washing through them as he noticed the rage in her own.

"Did you know about this?" Banner demanded, looking at Romanoff.

Jane tuned out as the arguments began to come, swift and fast, Fury blaming Thor, and Rogers going at Stark, and Banner growing ever more stressed and out of control. She could feel her own anger rising with every word that fell from Romanoff's and Fury's mouths, but she pushed it back.

This had to be what Loki wanted. If the Avengers were the last hope for this planet against his forces, then he needed them to be divided, to be fighting among themselves. Someone needed to be the adult here.

Finally, as the fighting grew to a crescendo, Jane strode into the centre of the lab and took a deep breath. And shouted as loud as she could, "ENOUGH!"

Everyone froze.

She met their eyes defiantly, folded her arms and exhaled. "Has it occurred to any of you that perhaps this is exactly what Loki wants? You've manipulated every single one of us here, lied to us and planned to use something which doesn't even belong here to build weapons of mass destruction, I mean what are you? Crazy? Some of the most powerful people on this planet and you're acting like a bunch of schoolboys measuring your…you know what, I'm not even going there!" she snarled, not giving them time to finish. She thought she caught a gleam of awe and pride in Thor's eye as he watched her. "This is just so wrong on so many levels, but right now we've got a job to do. We can't fight Loki and get the Tesseract back while we're biting each other's heads off, so shut it, all of you and save it for later, after we've stopped whatever is coming for us at Loki's command. Sound good?"

They all stared at her, just as the computers _beeped_ and Jane saw the search programme was complete. She and Banner rushed to it at the same time. No one noticed the shining blue crystal on Loki's sceptre as it called to its master's servants.

Once again the arguing started and Jane wanted to scream. Banner breathed out in shock as Jane's eyes widened as she refocused on the computer programme.

She felt the shockwave before she heard the explosion. It pushed her sideways, through a window and down, until she hit something cold and hard, knocking the breath from her lungs, making her side scream out in agony.

_Well there goes the other ribs…_ she thought deliriously, as the pain grew too much and her body shut down.

Jane fell into unconsciousness.


	12. You Lack Conviction

Lost Before The Dawn

Warnings: Some violence.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, or you'd definitely be getting copious amounts of Lokane in Thor 2.

Chapter Playlist: 'Assault' and 'They Called It' from 'Avengers Assemble', 'Tower Prayers' from 'Snow White and the Huntsman'.

* * *

Jane was vaguely aware of a rhythmic vibration against her head, compounding the general ache running through her entire body as she groggily came back to awareness. She frowned, moving her head and wishing she hadn't, groaning.

"Foster!" a familiar voice barked, as a low-pitched groan filtered through Jane's overtaxed senses, and she groaned again. "For god's sake, get it together. Are you hurt?"

Jane finally forced her eyes open to find Agent Romanoff lying across from her, lithe limbs splayed across the metal gantry they lay on, her leg trapped by a fallen fragment of piping. "My ribs, I think. And my head's not too good," Jane gasped out, as her vision wavered and darkened at the edges, until another agonised groan from somewhere behind her made her freeze.

"Ok, Foster. You need to get out of here now," Romanoff growled urgently, and Jane ached to ask why. She remembered the explosion, and then falling, and pain but little else. What was wrong?

What was happening?

Romanoff started speaking again but Jane realised not to her. "Bruce, you got to fight it. This is just what Loki wants!" she gasped out, and the pain in Jane's head and side suddenly seemed quite inconsequential as her befuddled brain suddenly put the pieces together. Bruce. Explosion. All that arguing in the lab…

Oh God.

"It's going to be ok, listen to me!" Romanoff continued, and for the first time, Jane detected a slight frisson of fear in the steely assassin's voice. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she forced herself upright onto her knees and scrambled towards Romanoff, away from Bruce. The assassin waved her away urgently, hissing "Get out of here, Foster!"

"Not without you," Jane snapped quietly, her vision clearing as the pain forced her to focus, and her eyes ran along the pipe trapping the agent's leg. She glanced toward Bruce, writhing and groaning, clutching his head as he tried to fight off the transformation into the Hulk, and frantically tried to think of a way out of this. "Keep talking to him. Try to keep him calm!" she hissed, crawling to the pipe and eying it speculatively. "How bad is it? Is your foot hurt?" she asked.

Tensely, Romanoff shook her head, eyes fixed on Bruce. "Get out of here, Foster!" she snapped. "There's nothing you can do."

"Try to wriggle your leg out," Jane replied, ignoring her order to go. She wasn't going to leave her there. "I'll try and lift the pipe enough for you to free your leg. And keep talking!"

Romanoff sighed, but kept talking to Bruce as Jane gingerly tested the weight of the piping, and ruefully wished she'd done more gym time in the past. She heard a particularly tortured scream as Bruce cried out, and she looked sideways to see the green tinge already overtaking his tanned skin, his eyes turning green. Just Loki's skin in that vision…

Forcing the thought away, Jane grit her teeth, as her ribs screamed in pain, and summoned all her strength, as she tried to shift the pipe off of Romanoff's leg, enough that she could wriggle free. She heard a tearing sound and more screaming and groaning, but she refused to look. If she looked, she'd freeze and they couldn't afford that. A small cry of her own escaped her as she put in one final effort, and the pipe moved just enough, as Romanoff forced her ankle free, dragging herself upright.

Romanoff grabbed her and dragged her a few feet away as Jane finally looked in Bruce's direction and saw the towering figure of the Hulk in the gentle doctor's place, and this time terror rose up and froze, as the Hulk roared in rage, smashing his fist into a gas canister.

The Hulk heard them and turned, growling, bearing his teeth.

"Foster, run!" Romanoff snarled, shoving her around and towards a set of stairs. Freed from her paralysis, Jane ran, as the Hulk came for them, scrambling to run up the stairs, the pain in her head and side forgotten as adrenaline kicked in.

She glimpsed Romanoff flip herself up onto the next flight before the ground suddenly fell from under her feet and she almost fell, crying out as she did, but a strong hand gripped her wrist, hauling her up and over the side, as the Hulk screamed at them in frustration.

Romanoff dragged her on, into the maze of pipes and gas canisters in the bowel of the helicarrier, not stopping until the growls and roars of the Hulk grew slightly distant. She tugged them both to a halt, and Jane bent over, panting for air.

"Thanks….for grabbing me back there," she gasped, pulling her hair away from her face, wiping away the sweat. The red-headed spy nodded once, her face carefully blank for a moment before she met Jane's eyes.

"You too, Foster," she muttered, a tiny hint of a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth before she grew stern. "Now, you have to go. No shut up and listen!" she held up her hand as Jane tried to interrupt. "I need to keep him away from the main areas of the helicarrier and I can't do that if I'm worrying about civilians. Just get away from here and let me handle him. You've done enough."

"But what about you?" Jane asked worriedly. There came another roar and the sound of tortured metal, and both women froze, senses stretched for any further sound, any possibility they were discovered.

Romanoff shook her head. "Don't worry about me, Foster. Get to the detention level, get to Loki," she told her. "The engines are down and most of the systems are vulnerable. Find Thor and get to Loki. You're the only one that might slow him down."

Jane stared at her, before nodding once and backing away. Romanoff drew her guns and turned away, eyes and ears alert for any sign of the Hulk.

* * *

Jane turned and ran.

She didn't have a clue where she was going, but as she heard more roars and explosions further behind her, she guessed the Hulk was busy chasing Romanoff. Guilt gnawed at her for a second, before she pushed it away. There was nothing more she could have done, she was no super-assassin.

But she doubted even Natasha Romanoff would last long against the Hulk. She could only hope Thor might find them and take the fight over.

She didn't have a clue where the detention level was, or where she was, and kicked herself for not asking. Sweat poured down her back beneath the SHIELD issue jacket and t-shirt, and the pain in her head and side was building again.

She glanced down, and saw a thin yellow stripe running along the metal flooring, and she frowned. _Follow the yellow brick road, huh? Worth a try…_

Hoping her instinct was correct, she followed it, further and further into the bowels of the helicarrier.

After five minutes of walking, Jane was getting worried again, as the explosions and the shouting drew nearer, and she hoped against hope she wasn't walking into a fight. Or worse still, the Hulk.

Romanoff's last words rang in her head, keeping her fear at bay. Find Loki. Slow him down.

_Yeah, like anything I say really gets through that thick, stupid inferiority complex of his. And don't even get me started on his ego…_

But it was the only plan she had, so she pushed onwards, pushing her hair out of her face, slicked with sweat, blood and grime.

Eventually the yellow line led her out into a corridor, filled with hazy smoke and the occasional body slumped against the walls, unmoving. Swallowing her horror, Jane paused before shrugging her shoulders and running down the corridor. If she could just find one she recognised, one that she'd been down earlier to go to the detention level, then…

Suddenly she spotted men in SHIELD gear up ahead and paused, instinct warning her that these were not friendly. She ducked behind a network of pipes and gas ducts, listening hard.

"You, seal off this junction. You, come with me. We need to get to the detention level!"

These had to be some of the SHIELD agents Loki had enslaved. Or mercenaries Barton had hired. Whatever, they could lead her to Loki, if she was careful.

Looking around, for anything, any kind of weapon to defend herself with, she spotted a fire extinguisher. Momentarily reflecting on the absurdity of SHIELD having fire extinguishers attached to the walls instead of one of those hi-tech sprinkler systems to put out fires, she grabbed it, silently groaning as her side twinged.

Moving as silently as she could, she moved out from her hiding place and bashed the sentry over the head with it, taking him down like a tin can. Pausing to check he was still breathing, her eyes fell on the small handgun tucked into a holster on his hip.

Jane didn't like guns, she really didn't, but she knew how to use one. Eric had taught her once, before she moved to New Mexico, and she vaguely remembered how to hold it and cock it. Don't close your eyes when sighting, don't grip too hard, and squeeze the trigger, don't pull it.

"Better safe than sorry," she muttered, swiping it up and shakily hefting it in one hand. She just hoped she wouldn't have to use it.

Suddenly, Jane's stomach bottomed out, and she was flung sideways as the floor lurched downwards. _What the hell…?_

She lost her footing and slipped, as the floor became a slippery slide and she frantically scrambled for a handhold, finally managing to grab hold of a side of a doorframe and hold on, her shoulder and elbow joints screaming at the strain. Abruptly, it levelled out again, and Jane forced herself upright, sprinting onwards.

* * *

She saw a flash of gold, blue and red, her heart pounding as she recognised Thor, sprinting down a corridor perpendicular to her, and she called out to him, but he ran on, deaf to her calls.

She heard him shout "NO!" as he tore through a doorway, and recognised the corridor they'd stood in and discussed Loki, outside of his cell.

Hefting her stolen gun, she ran after him, just in time to see him fly through the air, seemingly tackling something to the ground, only to fall flat on his face in the cell, as the doors clamped shut behind him.

Jane gasped as she flung herself up the gantry, just in time to hear Loki's taunting quip. "Are you ever not going to fall for that?"

Jane inwardly shook her head. They were trying to kill each other, and they still sniped at each other like brothers.

She paused, gasping for breath, the pain in her ribs washing over her like a hot wave of scorching metal on her skin, and stared at Loki, cool and unruffled, watching his brother in his former prison, hands held lightly behind his back. Abruptly, his gaze flicked to her, and did she imagine the slight glint of relief and concern in those emerald orbs before they faded back to blue?

"Jane," he breathed, and she found herself unable to look away. Why? Why did he have to look at her like that, and be a complete, homicidal nutter?

Belatedly remembering her gun, she raised it and pleased to note that despite her injuries and her adrenaline levels, her hand didn't shake.

"Jane…" Thor muttered warningly, but she ignored him, her world narrowed down to just her and Loki, as he smiled, chuckling.

"Jane, come now," he murmured, saying her name in a far softer and infinitely more seductive tone than Thor. "You are many things but a killer is not one of them."

"Oh so this thing could actually kill you then?" she asked, out of breath and gritting her teeth against the pain. Loki laughed out loud at that, signalling to his men to lower their weapons. He knew, damn him, that she wouldn't shoot him.

His eyes raked over her form, noting her slumped shoulders, the way she bent over herself slightly and the permanent grimace of pain in her eyes and on her lips, She turned her head slightly and knew he saw her head wound. "You are injured," he breathed, moving across to her so quickly, she wouldn't even have had time to blink. His hand clamped down on her side, making her gasp but the pain faded away immediately, and the head wound stopped sluggishly bleeding, and she could think straight again. Or not as the case turned out, as she inhaled and the scent of him pervaded every sense, making her heart pound for an entirely different reason now.

_Slow him down. Get him to listen._

She wondered if she was finally going mad, at the sound of Romanoff's voice in her head. But the reminder brought clarity, and she refocused as Loki stepped away, his hand leaving her waist.

As he moved away again, she threw the gun away. At Loki's narrowed stare, she shrugged. "You're right. Not really my style," she told him archly. "So this is what you wanted, all along. Chaos."

"I had worried your naiveté and blind faith might have prevented you from following my little hint," he replied smoothly. "Clearly, I worried for naught. Well, what say you now, Jane? What of your mighty, glorious heroes now?"

"I never thought they were heroes, and I sure as hell don't approve, but even I can see the reasoning behind their madness. And while I plan on giving Director Fury a giant migraine when this is over, this changes nothing," Jane retorted. "Did you really think I was so weak to collapse and run to your arms like a child who's just been told there's no Santa Claus? Think again, Loki."

Loki's amusement faded, to be replaced by a calculating stare which made her slightly uncomfortable, but which she endured defiantly, folding her arms. She was aware of Thor's gaze on her, but he stayed silent. Letting her handle things.

"What are you going to do?" she asked quietly, meeting his eyes and they flicked between blue and green, as if indecisive. Like there was some great battle waging inside of him.

Suddenly the blue burned brightest, as he glanced towards his erstwhile brother, with a devilish smile. Jane followed his gaze and horror rose within her as realisation hit.

"Don't do it," she breathed, as Loki's gaze fell on her once more. "Don't do this, Loki."

"You know your ancestors once believed us to be immortal," he grinned, backing away towards the control panel, as she followed slowly. He paused before the transparent readout, his hand hovering over a button, big and threatening, as Jane shivered. Loki's grin was feral, as he glanced at Thor, then back at Jane? "Shall we test that, Doctor Foster?"

"No!" she shouted urgently, alarm breaking into her voice. She rushed forward, unthinking in her urgency, and covered his hand with her own, holding his eye determinedly. "You don't have to do this."

"Why? Because he is my brother?" he demanded scornfully, but Jane just shook her head. She wasn't stupid enough to try that tack, that wouldn't work. Something came back to her, something he'd said, ages ago it felt…

"_How does it feel, to know you desire the kiss of a monster?"_

As before, she knew it wasn't the whole reason why Loki was doing what he was doing, but it might be enough to make him pause.

"Because you are not the monster you think you are, nor do you have to be," she finally said, softly, feeling the slight tension in the hand beneath hers, as she met his gaze determinedly. The words at the tip of her tongue rankled slightly, but if it saved Thor and stopped Loki doing something truly unforgivable and irredeemable, then she'd swallow her pride. "Please…show mercy."

Loki's eyes widened, and he jerked upright, staring at her like he'd never seen her before. His eyes shone green, and she knew Thor had witnessed the change too, as he glanced towards Thor, then back at her.

Loki stared at her. She stared back.

Their silent battle didn't end until the sound of a body slumping to the ground punctured their little bubble, and a cool, calm voice called, "Move away, please."

* * *

Agent Phil Coulson had seen a lot of strange and terrible things in his time as a SHIELD operative. He'd seen men cry at the first sight of a gun against their temple, and women fighting as fiercely as tigers to protect their secrets. He'd seen flying suits of armour, green giants full of rage, ordinary looking people with the power of gods, and a Norse God come to life in front of him.

Suffice to say, very little could surprise Coulson anymore.

Except this did. This trumped them all.

The sight of the petite, really quite insignificant Doctor Foster, her hand tightly folded over Loki's, gazing up at him with an obscure mix of pleading and hope in her eyes, defiance and strength radiating from every pore, despite the dried blood crusting in her hair, and the bruises from her mad flight from the Hulk. And the way Loki looked back.

He looked…lost. Torn and desperate, searching for something in Foster, something Coulson didn't have the time to understand, not when Thor was trapped in the cell and Loki was within reach of the release button. Foster had delayed him, but Coulson wasn't about to take the risk she could hold him forever.

So he stepped forward, knocking out the mercenary sentry, before hefting the large prototype gun in his arms, based on technology salvaged from the remains of the Destroyer Loki sent to Puente Antiguo.

"Move away please," he called, stepping forward into the light. Both startled, as Thor glanced at him with a warning in his eyes, and Loki spun to face him, hands raised, eyes fixed on him intently. He gestured with his gun and Loki's eyes glanced down at it and back. "Doctor Foster, please move back."

"Agent Coulson…" Jane breathed, but he ignored her.

"You like this?" he asked Loki, as memories of smashed cars and dead agents came back to the forefront of his mind, and a hulking silver giant. "We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does…do you want to find out?"

He fired up the weapon, with a fiery _whirr_, just as Foster's eyes widened and her mouth opened to shout a warning.

"Behind you!"

He moved on instinct, moving sideways but a little too slow. A sharp pain erupted in his left arm and he cried out, dropping the gun, as warm blood dripped down his arm. Out the corner of his eye, he could see the point of a familiar blade piercing his shoulder and upper arm.

The gun fell to the floor, useless, as he collapsed, blood loss making him dizzy.

Jane watched in horror as Coulson collapsed, the double beside her shimmering out of existence, Thor's shouted "No!" reverberating in her ears.

Loki stepped out from behind Coulson, a feral smile on his features, his eyes shining a mad blue. "Do not fear, Jane. He is wounded, but not fatally," he told her casually, as he stepped over him, the sceptre back in his hands.

"Oddly enough, that's not reassuring," she snarled at him, rushing to Coulson's side. He was still alive and just conscious, his eyes fluttering weakly. She stripped off her jacket, staunching the wound with it as best she could. A sudden rush of wind interrupted her, and she looked sideways to see the opening below Thor's cell opening, and horror filled her. "No!" she cried out, but it was too late.

Loki pressed the button, and Thor dropped from sight.

Rage filled Jane, and any pity or compassion she had felt only a few seconds ago melted away under its fire. She spun around and launched herself at Loki, aiming at wherever she could, wishing she'd kept hold of the gun.

Not that her blows did any damage of course.

He grabbed her by the waist and forced her back against the railing, trapping her against him. "My, aren't we upset, Jane? Especially as you told me you feel nothing for him?" he snarled at her, and she hissed in pain at his grip.

"You don't have to be in love with someone to not want them dead!" she snapped back. "Your own brother!"

"He is not my brother!" he growled back and she hit him again, hard on the shoulder. It hurt her knuckles more than it hurt him.

"So you're not brothers by blood. He still goddamn loves you even after you tried to kill him once already!" Jane replied heatedly. "You idiotic, brainless, sonofa-!"

"That. Is. Enough!" Loki roared, but not before she slapped him around the face, and this time, she drew blood from his lip. They both froze, as Loki brought one hand up, wiping away the blood disinterestedly, before meeting her wild, burning eyes.

"The Aesir are stronger than you ignorant, weak little mortals are capable of realising," he hissed at her malevolently, as she defiantly refused to drop her gaze.

"He fell over ten thousand feet!" she spat at him. "You might be bloody resilient, but I doubt even you lot could fall that far and just walk away."

"Thor will not die from that fall, and he possesses Mjolnir. I needed him out of the way until the time is right," he told her haughtily, still not releasing her from his grip. He swiped at his lip again, and a chuckle dispersed the murderous expression on his face. "You have strength in you, Jane. Anyone else would not have dared. Anyone else I would have killed on the spot for daring to strike me."

"You won't kill me," Jane replied firmly. "You couldn't."

He stilled, and she felt her breath strangling in her lungs as her gaze unwillingly dropped to the smooth, hard lips in front of her, the lower only slightly marred by the angry red line bisecting it. Jane wanted to take it into her mouth, to kiss the blood away and equally, bring him more pain, until it mingled with the pleasure.

_What are you doing__…__?_

Her brain snapped at her, but she wasn't listening, enthralled by the physical sensations her senses were cataloguing and the adrenaline, anger and urgency burning inside her.

He didn't seem unaffected either, if the tight grip around her waist was any indication, and she could feel his own gaze on her mouth as surely as if she was watching him do it from a distance. A hand came up and cradled her jaw, and her eyes fluttered halfway shut, before she defiantly opened them again.

Loki chuckled, quietly and weakly, as she raised her eyes to his, and held his gaze. "Little Jane Foster," he breathed softly. "Who looked at the stars and dared to dream of their secrets, who fights against the inevitable and refuses to bow. What am I to do with you?"

"You're better than this, Loki," she murmured gently, all anger bleeding out of her. "You could be so much more, so great but not like this…"

"I will succeed, Jane," he replied. "And I will return and make you my Queen."

She shook her head. "No you won't," she whispered. "Even now, you're still lying. To me, and to yourself."

"This world will belong to me, as little else ever has," he told her, with a certainty which should have chilled her, but just saddened her. "I…belong nowhere, and so I have no other choice now."

Jane felt herself start inwardly, staring at him, as his words sank in. What…?

* * *

Loki seemed to comprehend the impact of his words, as he drew back, but his eyes remained soft and green, as he sighed. "I cannot take you with me, it is too dangerous. This world will soon become a battlefield, but be assured, Jane. I shall come for you," he told her, with one last caress of her cheek with his thumb.

Jane's eyes widened as she went to speak. "What-?"

Loki's hand shifted from her cheek to her eyes, drawing them down, calling forth his magic and slowing her senses, lulling them into slumber as she collapsed abruptly. He caught her and gently laid her down on the metal gantry, tucking her hair back as it fell across her face, and trailing his fingers across her soft, blood-marred skin.

His hand, imbued with the touch of her skin, clenched into a fist as the gemstone in the sceptre glowed a fierce blue, and his eyes shifted in colour once more. His face hardening, he stood and turned away without looking back.

A soft, weak voice made him pause. "You're going to lose."

He turned back to see Coulson's eyes weakly staring up at him, certainty in their dull brown depths.

"Am I?" he asked silkily, dangerous and soft. Jane slumbered behind him, and he realised the prototype gun Coulson had carried was now in his lap and haphazardly pointed at him. He shifted in front of her protectively, eyes fixed on Coulson. "Your heroes are scattered, your flying fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?" he asked.

Coulson's eyes darted to Jane, slumped against the gantry behind Loki, and Loki's face hardened. "You lack conviction now," the wounded agent replied sluggishly. "It's not what you really want."

The trickster's face contorted with scorn and rage as he angrily began to reply, but Coulson managed to find the strength to pull the trigger, the gun powering up with a roar, a ball of compressed flame erupting from its snout and blowing Loki through the wall.

"So that's what it does," he breathed in satisfaction, before the pain spiked and unconsciousness snatched him away.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	13. Dreams and Reality

Lost Before The Dawn

Warnings: One instance of minor bad language. Some suggestive themes.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Lily's Theme' from 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2' and 'Mina/Dracula' from 'Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula'

* * *

'_Half of writing history is hiding the truth'_

- Joss Whedon

'_Hope is a waking dream'_

- Aristotle

* * *

Jane was vaguely aware of an irritating _bleeping_ noise as she groggily crawled her way back to consciousness. This time, her head felt like a jackhammer was currently having a rave in her brain, and she was almost certain opening her eyes was a really bad idea.

But that damn _bleeping _noise just would not quit.

She forced her eyes open to find a familiar pair of brown eyes watching her intently. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Doctor," Romanoff muttered dryly, eying her carefully. "You scared us for a minute. Thought you'd gone into a coma."

"Where's-? What…happened?" Jane managed to mumble out, her throat and mouth as dry as a desert. She missed the darkening of Romanoff's eyes as she fumbled with the leads stuck to her chest, wincing slightly as she ripped them away. "Do you mind?" she asked, gesturing blindly towards the heart monitor.

Romanoff turned it off as Jane focussed on fixing her jumpy vision, shaking her head despite the pain. Her ribs felt fine, but Jane guessed that was Loki's magic still at work, not human medication. She could vaguely make out the grey, uniform walls of the medical bay she was in, the bolted metal table beside her bed, and the grey plastic of the heart monitor.

"Here," Romanoff's hand swam into focus, proffering a glass of water, an aspirin dissolving into the cool liquid. Jane grabbed it, forcing herself to swallow it down despite the acrid taste.

"Thanks," she muttered, forcing herself to sit upright. Her vision swam then steadied, and she inhaled deeply. "What happened?"

"We hoped you could tell us," the red-headed assassin replied, and Jane glanced at her frowningly.

"Where's Thor? Doctor Banner? What about Agent Coulson?" Jane asked, her voice growing ever more urgent. Romanoff's face hardened at that last, and she shook her head.

"We've had no contact with either Thor or Doctor Banner. The helicarrier is disabled and heavily damaged. Loki got away," she told her curtly.

"I know. He put me to sleep," Jane breathed, inwardly glaring at an imagined image of the trickster.

"Coulson's dead," Romanoff continued. Jane blinked, staring at her, the pounding in her head slowly dissipating as the aspirin took affect.

"But how-? Loki stabbed him in the arm. He was still alive-" she babbled, but Romanoff cut her off.

"By the time the medical team got to you, he was dead, you were unconscious and all that was left of Loki was a big hole in the wall," the assassin told her.

Jane frowned, looking down. "But-"

At that moment, the door _swished_ open and the forbidding figure of Director Fury stepped through, his one-eyed gaze sweeping the two women for a moment, before he inclined his head. "Quite a bump you had there, Doctor," he muttered. "Agent Romanoff, Agent Barton has awakened. I thought you'd want to be informed."

Romanoff nodded, getting up and leaving the room without another glance at Jane, but she glimpsed the troubled look in the spy's eyes as she left. Feeling a cold thrill down her spine, Jane folded her arms, drew herself up as much as she could with busted ribs and the partial pangs of a half-medicated migraine. "Director, what's going on?" she asked coolly. "When Loki put me to sleep, Coulson was still alive and not likely to die from a stab wound to the shoulder. Why does Agent Romanoff think he's dead?"

Fury's jaw tensed as he watched her, and he sighed.

"I'm going to be honest with you, Doctor Foster. No, Phil Coulson is not dead," the master spy murmured, as Jane listened, intently. "But before the medical team took him away, he said something which was all too true."

"Which was?" Jane asked, curiously.

"The Avengers would never work unless they had something to avenge," Fury finished, and Jane stared.

"You're letting the Avengers think Coulson is dead, so they'll band together and go after Loki?" she stated questioningly, brows rising when Fury nodded. "So you're willing to frame someone, who for once is innocent of the crime he's accused of, and hope the Avengers get mad enough to take him out. Where the hell is your moral compass? What, did it get too close to a magnet and screw up?"

"This is war, Doctor Foster," he growled heatedly, and Jane folded her arms. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"You have no idea what you've done, what you're dealing with, and the ugly thing is, I know you don't care," she shook her head, disgusted. "When do the lies stop?"

"Perhaps never," Fury shrugged. "If that's what it takes to keep this world safe, I'll gladly keep lying until the day I die."

"Then we're as bad as Loki makes us out to be," Jane replied coldly. She hopped off the bed, her legs reassuringly steady beneath her. "Now where is Tony? I need to speak to him."

"You're going nowhere, Foster," Fury snapped. "I can't take the risk you'll inform the Avengers of the truth and knock them off-focus."

"You don't have a choice, especially as I'm the only one who, at this moment, knows the location of the Tesseract," she retorted, seeing Fury's eye widen. "I was looking at the screen beside Doctor Banner when we were blasted through that window. So you will let me out of here, Fury, so the Avengers can do their job and I will tell them the truth, so they stop Loki for the right reasons, not for revenge. That's Loki's way of doing things, not ours."

As she finished speaking, she saw a suspiciously respectful glint in Fury's eye, and she refused to back down. Eventually, Fury moved out of her way and Jane marched out, Fury's voice ringing in her ears. "Stark and Rogers are on the detention level. I hope you're right, Doctor Foster, for all our sakes."

* * *

As Jane walked as quickly as she could manage down the corridors of the helicarrier, she thought hard about everything that happened in the past few hours. Outside, the sky was still only just lightening, so she could only have been asleep for an hour at most. Her entire body ached with fatigue, and she just wanted to curl up, close her eyes and forget about all of it.

But she couldn't. She couldn't let Loki win, she couldn't let the Avengers believe a lie, and she couldn't…let him be harmed. At that thought, she stopped and leant against the bulkhead, relishing the cold metal against her overheated skin.

But how? How could she stop him from going down this road, when nothing she had said had been enough to stop him? She knew he cared for her, in his own way, otherwise why would he continue to heal her, to protect her? But how far did that care go, how much did it rule him?

Remembering the beautiful emerald green of his eyes in those moments before Coulson interrupted them, Jane had to admit hope was still there, but he needed something from her, something more than just compassion or understanding.

_You can solve this, Jane. Think about all the variables, all the factors driving Loki. There's something I'm missing, but what?_

His last words before he cast the sleeping spell came back to her, as flashes of memory the Tesseract had shown her popped up in her mind, and she gasped.

_"I…belong nowhere, and so I have no other choice now."_

_Shaking wildly, the armour and cloth fell away, leaving Loki's pristine white skin open to the frigid air, and then as if dipped in dye, it turned the same shade of icy blue as the Giant's own, and strange markings in the skin raised themselves._

_Loki walked briskly up the hallway, ignoring the alcoves either side of him. His breath came from him in quiet gasps, and he looked pale. Jane watched as he stopped before the casket in front of her, looking down at it with mingled hope and resignation, as he set his hands to the handles on either side._

_He lifted it, and Jane watched as the blue once more consumed the white skin of his hands, chasing its way up his arm. She looked up, into his eyes, as resignation became realisation, and then horror and loathing filtered into those eyes._

_**Finally, you understand…**_

_That strange voice in her head again…_

_**You have to stop this, Jane. Only you…**_

* * *

Jane's eyes snapped open, as she panted for breath, sliding down the bulkhead to her knees, shaking. Every moment of the past few weeks crowded into her mind, Loki's words taking on new meanings as her newfound clarity of mind spread and expanded like a bird spreading its wings. Or maybe they weren't so new after all, the meaning had always been there, buried but there, and she had just never had the courage or the ability to see it before.

It wasn't just jealousy, or believing he was a monster that had turned him into this. Finding out his true identity, his true heritage, and the consequent destruction of everything he thought he knew about himself and where he belonged. Cast out on Jotunheim, deceived by his family on Asgard and then denied by the man he had, until that moment, still looked to as his father.

Loki didn't feel like he belonged anywhere anymore, and whatever or whoever had manipulated him and his memories, had fed that belief. Loki was raised to be a King, since what he saw as rightfully his was taken from him, so he would _**make**_ the Earth belong to him. He would try to _**make **_her belong to him.

At least, that was what he thought he needed. Something in Jane whispered that would not satisfy the lack inside of Loki, not the forced submission and the lie he would spin for himself. Eventually it would come crashing down, and what then? What then would he become, whether the Avengers defeated him or not?

Jane shivered.

And how did she feel about all of this? She cared for him, deeper than was probably sane, but not, she felt in the same way Stockholm victims felt for their captors. She had seen the flashes of the true Loki beneath the madness and the rage, had worked out what was driving him, what had happened to him. But what did she feel?

She truly didn't know. She cared for him. She was attracted to him, to his intellect and his charm, to his dark beauty and to the ache he felt. She _**wanted **_to soothe that ache, fill that lack…

_God, I'm turning into one of those chick flick girls who tries to save the bad boy…_Jane mentally groaned to herself. But underneath the logical part of her that warned her off, told her to run and keep running, another part of her insisted she was right, that the solution slowly taking shape in her mind was the right, and only, course of action if she wanted to save everyone.

Could she do it? A part of her wanted to, but could she survive it? Survive him?

Jane suspected she wouldn't know unless she tried. She took a deep breath and stood, suddenly determined as all the confusion cleared from her mind and she decided on a course of action. She knew what she had to do.

She turned and strode for the detention level.

* * *

Stark and Captain Rogers stood, looking at the covered opening of the chute Thor had dropped down, when Jane approached. Momentarily uncertain, she watched them both as they talked quietly, the repressed grief of two men who didn't want to admit it filling the air.

Gathering her courage, Jane cleared her throat.

Stark glanced up first. "Doctor Foster. How's the bump on the head?" he asked jokingly, a weak smile on his handsome features. Jane shrugged.

"Ok. Thank God for aspirin," she replied. "Look, I need to talk to you both. About what happened…in here."

Rogers' eyes swung to her piercingly, as Stark shrugged. "We know what happened," he gestured at the blood stain against the bulkhead. "Coulson-"

"Is alive. He's not dead," Jane interrupted. "Fury lied."

"But…" Rogers began, frowning sternly. "Fury…the trading cards…"

Jane was lost for a moment, before she snapped back to the point. "Look, before Loki put me to sleep, I felt Coulson's pulse. He was bleeding but not bad enough to die from it. The blade got him in the upper shoulder, it would have hurt but not enough to kill him, especially if the medical team got to him as quickly as they appeared to."

Stark watched her closely. "How do you know Loki didn't do something to him afterwards?" he asked. "The guy's a nut job."

"Point taken," she conceded. "But…he's never lied to me. Ever. He said Coulson wasn't fatally wounded, and he wasn't. And you can see the hole in the wall. Something tells me Loki wouldn't have had time to do anything to Coulson before he blasted him into next week."

"But why-?" Rogers asked, shaking his head. "Fury lying doesn't make sense."

"Doesn't it?" Stark suddenly spoke up, folding his arms. "We weren't exactly getting along, and all those nice little revelations about what SHIELD was really doing with the Tesseract were just icing on the cake."

"Fury needed something for you to unite around, or as Coulson apparently put it, for the Avengers to 'avenge'," Jane continued. Rogers shook his head again.

"Even if I believe you," he began. "That doesn't change the fact that we need to find Loki and stop him, Doctor Foster."

"No, it doesn't," Jane sighed. "But I saw the screen when the programme located the Tesseract, just before everything went to hell. I know roughly where it is."

"Where?" Stark frowned.

"New York City, Downtown," she replied. "Within half a mile of tons of different buildings. The Chrysler, Stark Tower, the Empire State…"

"No, he needs an energy source. Not even draining the New York grid of all its power would give him enough-" Rogers frowned. "Besides, why there? Why New York?"

"He made it personal," Stark suddenly interrupted, his face clearing as an epiphany dawned. "That's Loki's point. He needs to beat us to win, to demoralise the planet enough to get us to submit or whatever, he needs to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."

"He does have one hell of a inferiority complex," Jane muttered in agreement.

"Like the whole show in Stuttgart," Rogers nodded thoughtfully. Stark shook his head.

"That was just previews, this is opening night and Loki's the big diva. He wants parades, he wants flowers and a monument built to the sky with his name on it-" Stark trailed off abruptly, as Jane suddenly cottoned on, and Rogers waited, eying the two questioningly.

"Son of a bitch," Stark growled.

"Of course! The arc reactor. He's gone to Stark Tower," Jane breathed. Rogers nodded, as the three turned and began walking in the direction of the medical bay.

"We need to talk to Romanoff and Barton," Rogers muttered, leading the way.

* * *

_He did not rest often since his fall from power, but after being hit by that ridiculous weapon, he had needed it to heal._

_He could not afford to be weak. He must be strong. Soon, the final stages of his plans would initiate, and he needed to lead._

_Now he remembered why he did not sleep often. In dreams, the memories of his past always returned to haunt him._

_He stood, in the gardens of the palace in Asgard, watching, heart heavy, his breath laboured as the trees above his head whispered a soft welcome, laden with blossoms._

_Slowly a figure advanced through the mist, hair piled high and flashing gold in the sun, form swathed in the softest silk of Asgard. For a moment, he was certain it was his moth-…it was the Queen, but as the figure drew nearer, he realised it was not._

_It was Jane._

_Her slender limbs were covered by mauve silk, cleaving to her form, as she walked along, as graceful as any maiden of Asgard, her hair piled atop her head in radiant curls, the russet brown shot through with soft gold._

_A happy smile lit up her face, as she called his name, half-teasing, half-questioning, but he did not move. He could not, no matter how much he longed to._

"_What is it that you want, Loki of Asgard?" a soft, familiar voice asked. He had heard it often when he slept, the rare times he permitted himself it. Always the same. Always…her._

_Queen Frigga came into his line of sight, tall, willowy and beautiful in robes of softest, oldest gold, her eyes holding him lovingly. He wanted to weep, he wanted to tear the heavens apart in rage._

"_Do you desire this? Peace, the woman you desire?" she asked again, but he was mute, unable to answer. "This future could still exist, but not like this. If you continue on the path of rage and pride, you will fall still further into darkness and there will be no hope for the universe."_

"_I will not," Loki breathed, suddenly able to speak. "Jane will be mine, peace will be mine. I will rule the Earth."_

"_No, Loki. That is not what your heart truly desires anymore," Frigga shook her head sadly. "It does not take an entire world to belong, nor can it be taken by force. You are weak where you believe yourself strong."_

"_I am not weak," he growled desperately._

"_Then turn back before it is too late. Cease the lies you have spun, that Thanos has spun, to destroy what is left of who you really are," she told him. "Find the strength and remember, Loki. Remember, or lose her forever…"_

* * *

_He gasped for breath, his eyes snapping open as he bolted upright, on the soft, low-slung bed in Stark's apartment. Above his head, Stanley worked ceaselessly to finish preparing the Tesseract for its task, and the sky was growing ever lighter._

_He buried his head in one hand, kneading the skin of his forehead, half-expecting to feel the cursed markings of his birthright there, instead of smooth, pale skin._

_A sound made him look up, and his jaw nearly gaped when he saw the woman, pale, dishevelled and urgent, standing in the doorway._

_Jane._

_Her clothes were ripped and torn by the fight on the helicarrier, and her hair was tangled but the sheer urgency in her eyes pinned him to the bed._

"_Loki," she breathed, rushing across the space between them faster than any human could possibly move, and then she was in his arms, pressing her lips to his._

_Desire rushed through him, heated and consuming, as he caged her to him, his hands sweeping beneath her ruined clothing, as he twisted her onto her back beneath him, her hands in his hair, the delicate skin of her throat under his lips._

"_Master…" she gasped contentedly, and he paused, frowning, despite the urgency in his body, urging him to claim her as his own. But Jane, his fiery, intransient Jane would never say that, would never acknowledge him her master…_

_He looked up, and saw the glowing blue of her eyes, the eyes of the enslaved, and he shot back-_

* * *

Loki all but sprang upright from the bed, his chest heaving as he stared down at the rumpled covers, eyes wide and unseeing as he tore his mind from nightmare. The sceptre glowed on the bedcovers, and he groaned, burying his head in his hands as the first sounds of repulsors approaching the Tower echoed through the air.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	14. Pride, Prejudice and Guns, Lots of Guns

Lost Before The Dawn

Warnings: Some violence.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Performance Issues' and 'Seeing, Not Believing' from 'Avengers Assemble'

* * *

"_Hell is yourself and the only redemption is when a person puts himself aside to feel deeply for another person."_

_- Tennessee Williams_

* * *

As soon as Stark, Rogers and Jane had left the detention level, the two scientists had gone to start working on Stark's suit while Rogers went to handle Barton and Romanoff.

As Jane perched herself on the workbench in one of the storage bays, the components of the Iron Man spread across the surface, she idly wondered what she was even doing there.

"I don't know anything about this-I mean, I'm not a mechanic," she began, spreading her hands. "Why did you want me?"

"I wanted to talk to you, away from the others," Stark replied, searching through a box of tools. "You're smart, Doctor Foster, smarter than most of the other idiots out there, so I want to know why are you doing this? Why are you trying to save him?"

Jane's eyes widened and she folded her arms. "I-"

"Because that's what you're doing here. This is more than just moral indignation at Fury's lies," Stark continued, straightening up and eying her piercingly. "You worked for him, you must have had some idea of how things roll with SHIELD, even if you didn't know the full story. If you just wanted Loki gone, you could have just let us take him out, based on lies. So why are you doing this?"

Jane inhaled deeply, closing her eyes for a second. "When Loki first came through, he could have killed me or enslaved me, but he didn't. He told me it was because of Thor, because he wanted to torment him, but the way he…looked after me, protected, healed me time and again…and then we had an argument. We fought and he forced me to look into the heart of the Tesseract…" she glanced sideways at Stark as she spoke, but his face was impassively, his eyes intent on her every word. "I think he thought it would make me see things his way but it…_**she**_ showed me something else. She showed me everything that's happened to him, the truth of it, and I've realised that someone's got to him. Between falling from Asgard and coming here, someone's hurt him, they've manipulated him-"

"So he's enslaved too? Like Barton was?" Stark frowned, as she shook her head.

"Not like that," she breathed. "No, all of this was his choice but it's a choice he made based on a lie. He has different recollections to what I was shown by the Tesseract, and to what Thor remembered. I think whoever's behind all this, I mean really behind all this, not Loki, is just using him and when he's done, that'll be it. They'll cast him away, and then God knows what'll happen."

"Thor mentioned something about some guys called the Chitauri. Apparently they're his backup," the inventor nodded to himself. "So…what happened to him, then? To turn him into Severus Snape meets Comic Con?"

"He lost everything," she shrugged, looking away uncomfortably. "His identity, his perception of who he was. Everything he thought he was and could be torn away in a split second."

"Yeah, Thor mentioned something about adoption," Stark nodded. "So Mom and Dad tell him he's adopted and he goes whacko?"

Jane shook her head. "They didn't tell him, he found out by accident. I guess a thousand years is a long time to believe a lie."

"That still doesn't justify what he's done and what he's planning to do, Jane," he replied gently, compassion in his eyes. Jane shrugged.

"I never said it did," she stated softly. "He's a seriously screwed up mess, but if someone doesn't help him now, when will it be too late? And what will we be left with?"

Stark nodded. "I only hope you know what you're getting yourself into, kiddo. I'm pretty sure this is a lifetime commitment you're about to make," he finished, before they slipped back into silence, apart from the occasional request from Stark to Jane for a particular tool.

* * *

A few hours later, the Iron Man was back up and running, and Rogers entered the storage bay accompanied by Barton and Romanoff.

Romanoff just inclined her head to Jane, and she did the same, a newborn respect shining in the assassin's eyes which made her feel a little uncomfortable. She was no hero.

Barton was a little more verbose. "You ok there, Foster?" he asked quietly, while Rogers, Stark and Romanoff conversed quickly, in hushed, hurried tones.

Jane nodded. "What about you? You…ok?" she murmured haltingly, wondering if she was asking a really dumb question. His eyes, freed of the eerie blue shade she had seen in them for weeks, crinkled slightly at the corners as he smiled, a little self-deprecatingly.

"I will be," he shrugged. "So I hear I'm not allowed to shoot Loki in the eyeball anymore?"

"Oh, you can shoot him just not anywhere vital, or fatal," she quipped, and he chuckled.

"How about the balls then?" he muttered, surprising a laugh out of Jane, prompting the others to glance at them. After a second, Barton looked down before meeting her eyes, as if gathering his thoughts. "I remember bits of what happened when I was under. I remembered the way he treated you, and the way he always thought about you. I understand a little why you're doing this."

"Thank you," Jane breathed, absurdly grateful for the archer's gentle, gruff support. "I thought you'd think I was nuts."

"Oh, I already thought that, Doctor," he smirked, before moving away.

Rogers glanced over at her then, and she got the distinct impression she was being argued over. Clearly Stark had told them of her intention to go with them.

Jane folded her arms, knowing very well that she looked defiant. It had become her default stance during those weeks of captivity with Loki. Rogers sighed, while the other three smirked behind his back.

"I don't like this," he said quietly. "Loki is insane and enough people have died because of him. How do you know he won't do the same to you if you push too hard?"

"I don't," she replied, just as quietly. "But this is our best chance and with all due respect, Captain, it's not your decision to make. It's mine, so please just accept that."

Rogers' jaw tensed, and his eyes flashed with indecision, before he nodded just once, and Jane breathed a secret sigh of relief. For all her bravado, if Captain America had tried to stop her going, she wasn't sure how she'd have got around him.

After that, they quickly set out their strategy. Stark would fly ahead and confront Loki, try to stall him as along as possible, while the others followed behind in the Quinjet. Barton would drop Jane as close to Stark Tower as he could manage, so she could handle Loki while the others held off any possible enemy that came through if Stark was unsuccessful.

As Jane walked beside Barton, Romanoff and Rogers, through the bustling hangar bay towards an empty, operational Quinjet, she felt the first stirrings of fear and uncertainty begin to pool in her stomach. Just like before, when she was about to confront Loki in his cell on the helicarrier, she pushed the fear aside. She wouldn't let it rule her.

As they walked up the ramp of the Quinjet, a lone technical engineer inside, Jane felt a cold shudder of fear down her spine, regardless.

"Hey, you guys aren't authorised to be in here," the techie objected, as the four paused.

"Son, just don't," Rogers said firmly, gesturing for the techie to leave. Romanoff pointed Jane over to a seat, while the others strapped themselves in.

"Buckle up ladies and gentlemen. This is going to be a bumpy ride," she overhead Barton mutter from the cockpit. She couldn't agree more.

* * *

Iron Man surged ahead, and she struggled to restrain the dread pooling inside of her. She felt physically sick, and then wondered if there was even anything in her stomach to bring up. She doubted it, somehow.

And yet, she had never felt more alive, more aware of her own skin and the exhilaration accompanying the dread, and she momentarily questioned her own sanity. But heck, after everything she'd been through in the last year, she felt she was allowed to be a little insane.

They'd agreed on radio silence until they reached New York, but now Jane was wishing she'd asked Stark to keep them posted. She wanted to know what was going on, and she wanted to hear what Loki said, to gauge his mood and try how she might, she couldn't deny that a little part of her had missed the sound of his cocky, seductive voice in the hours they'd been separated.

Damn. Yep. Definitely turning into a romcom heroine now. Or an Austen heroine, which would make Loki her Mr Darcy…she almost laughed out loud at that one, and the thought of Loki in Regency getup. She was definitely going mad, or just turning into Darcy. Probably both. Either that, or this was the weirdest re-write of Pride and Prejudice ever.

They heard and saw the explosions as the skyline of New York grew ever closer, and Jane gasped as she saw the portal, the ragged hole in the sky and the glimpse of alien stars beyond. He'd done it, Loki had actually done it…

An intellectual part of Jane felt smugly satisfied that she'd been right, the rest just felt guilty that her research and ideas were now being used to invade her planet. _Stop that right there, Jane. Not helpful…_

Pushing her thoughts aside, she held on grimly, as they flew ever closer to the fight.

* * *

Loki heard the screams of the humans below, the triumphant, bloodthirsty screeches of his Chitauri warriors, and felt relieved. After that…nightmare, he had felt unsettled and weak, but now, reminded of his purpose, he could push all of that aside and focus on his goal.

He could not afford weakness now.

Stark's baiting had not swayed him. He idly wondered why that pitiful band of misfits had thought that Stark's inflammatory remarks would have even slowed him down really, and while Stark's repulsors were certainly a nuisance, he was unharmed.

Stark's comments about Jane, however, played on his mind.

"_And you, big fella, have managed to piss off every single one of them. Not to mention a severely irritated, fiery brunette scientist who wouldn't mind wringing your neck right now, so be careful big guy. She's scary when she's pissed…"_

Why was he not surprised she had involved herself? So determined to save her planet, as she saw it. A memory of brown eyes transmuted to blank, shining blue washed over him and he shuddered. He could not afford to think of her now, not now when he was so close.

The fact that the dream was all too accurate refused to leave him however, as he walked out onto the landing platform extending from Stark's living quarters, feeling the thrill of magic sweeping over his body as his armour was summoned from the pocket of space-time he kept it in, fitting him like a second skin, the sceptre extending to it's fullest length in his hand. Feeling the wind on his forehead, he raised his arms, revelling in the power he felt.

But something was missing, and beneath the power he felt, there was just…nothing. The moment of his triumph was not supposed to feel like this.

The jewel in his sceptre glowed a bright blue, as he felt the familiar, tugging call of the Other. Closing his eyes, he let the channel of communication between them open, opening his eyes to see both the skyline of New York and the cold space of Titan.

"_My time has come…" he breathed, pushing aside all hesitancy and uncertainty behind his usual façade of arrogance._

"_Resistance?" the Other growled._

"_From a few," Loki replied. "We'll pick them apart."_

"_And the rest as they come and throng?" the Other asked. "I sense something has changed, Asgardian. For all your cold words, you have not the heart to succeed in this task. You have lost your way."_

"_You are mistaken," Loki snapped. "Nothing has changed."_

"_Then prove it, Asgardian," the Other growled with a hiss of anticipation._

Loki was released from the communication, unease and self-disgust washing over him as the sickening presence of the Other faded in his mind. He opened his eyes, gritting his teeth as the Other's words rushed through his head, again and again. He was not weak!

He would prove it all to them now, to the Other, to Thanos, to his false brother, father and mother, the realm that rejected him and the other that denied him, to the pitiful peoples of Earth and their defenders, and to…Jane.

A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts, accompanied by a crash as alien feet landed heavily on the stone balcony below. "Loki!"

He turned to face Thor, unharmed, hale and whole, exactly as he'd known he would be. _See, Jane? No harm done. Yet._

"Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it," Thor continued, gesturing upwards with Mjolnir. Loki laughed to himself, at that stupid fool. Everything was always so simple with Thor.

"You can't," he replied triumphantly. "There is no stopping it. There's only the war!"

Not entirely true, but he wasn't about to tell Thor that. The simpleton would never figure it out for himself.

"So be it," his erstwhile sibling snarled, and Loki raised the sceptre with a battle cry, all thought wiped away by the rush of battle, as Mjolnir clashed with Titan blade.

* * *

New York looked more and more like something out of a war movie as they flew straight into the heart of the city. Jane's heart rose as they flew closer to Stark Tower, and she saw a flash of light she knew came from the sceptre, as the 'R' of the Stark Tower crashed to the street below.

"Stark, on your three, headed north-east," Romanoff barked into the PA.

"What? Did you stop for drive-through?" came the sarcastic reply. "Swing up Park. I'm going to lay them out for you."

Barton banked sharply, manoeuvring around the buildings with ease as Jane held on, her knuckles white. Rogers nodded at her reassuringly, but Jane still couldn't help wincing as they came an inch too close for comfort to an office block.

Sure enough, at the apex of Park, in front of Grand Central Station, Jane glimpsed a speck of red and gold fly past, followed by a squad of seven Chitauri warriors on what looked like flying Harley Davidsons.

The Quinjet vibrated with the force of the guns as they fired, taking out all of Stark's pursuers, taking out chunks of the edifice of Grand Central with it. Barton banked again and climbed, taking out a few more as they headed for Stark Tower.

Jane's heart leapt into her throat as she glimpsed Loki and Thor, fighting tooth and nail, as she tore her restraints undone and started forward.

"Get me down there, now!" she barked.

"You want to jump off the landing ramp, be my guest!" Barton snapped back, as Jane eyed the parachutes.

"Don't even think about it, Foster," Rogers snarled, as they were forced to cling to some storage webbing, as the Quinjet was rocked by a hit by one of the Chitauri fighters.

"Nat?" Barton barked questioningly, as the guns roared to life again.

"I see him!" Romanoff muttered, as Jane watched, eyes wide. "Let's see if we can distract him."

Jane saw Loki throw Thor to the ground with the shaft of the sceptre, before raising it and taking careful aim at them. Romanoff fired off a barrage, but Loki remained unruffled, as the sceptre fired a shot, hitting them directly in the wing.

The Quinjet listed sharply, beginning to spin out of control as Barton tried desperately to compensate long enough to safely land. Jane and Rogers were taken off their feet several times as Barton crash-landed on a plaza, five blocks away from Stark Tower, and every bone in Jane's body felt like it vibrated with the force of the crash.

"You ok?" Rogers asked gruffly, and she nodded. Barton and Romanoff were out of their seats in seconds, grabbing their kit and rushing off the Quinjet, Rogers at their head and Jane behind. Romanoff caught her elbow for a second, and stuffed a loaded gun into her hand.

"Just in case," she breathed. Jane nodded understandingly.

* * *

They sprinted the five blocks to Grand Central, and Jane panted, her ribs aching as Loki's magic wore off. She looked up at the ravaged building and the gaping portal above it, and felt determination take hold, the dread and the exhilaration merging into one, driving instinct.

_Get to Loki._

The Avengers and Jane paused, staring in awe at the scene before them, until the instinct got too much and Jane rushed forward, ignoring the Avengers' shouts. She didn't see the Avengers stop again, stunned by the giant Leviathan emerging from the portal like some nightmare version of a worm, and she didn't stop to look up. She was single-mindedly focussed on reaching Stark Tower and getting to Thor and Loki before the worst happened.

Heaven help any Chitauri that got in her way.

She got her first glimpse of one as it landed in front of her, growling and screeching in its unintelligible language at her, tall, menacing and almost a mix of reptilian and insect, as it brandished its pikestaff at her. Jane ducked behind a totalled car, gritting her teeth as it took hit after hit.

She really didn't have time for this. She cocked the gun, waited a second for the hits to stop before lunging out from behind the car and taking swift aim.

Her aim was dead-centre and the Chitauri collapsed with a smoking hole in its brain. Lowering her gun, panting with adrenaline, pain and fatigue, Jane lowered the gun and ran on, skirting around civilians and police, ducking shots as more Chitauri landed on the street, and the ones in the air took potshots at the humans below.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	15. A Kiss Is All It Takes

Lost Before The Dawn

Warnings: Violence

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Battlefield' from 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2', 'The Kiss' from 'Twilight Eclipse', 'Farewell to Gwen' from 'Merlin: Series 2' and 'Prepared To Do Anything' from 'Sherlock: Series 2'.

* * *

_'Pitiful creature of darkness, what kind of life have you known?_

_God give me courage to show you,_

_You are not alone.'_

_- Christine, Phantom of the Opera Act II_

* * *

Dodging potshot after potshot from Chitauri fighters, Jane really wished her old track and field teacher could see this. She definitely wouldn't have failed her back in high school if she could see her now.

She was steadily making progress towards Stark Tower, and she almost didn't feel the pain in her ribs. She was running high on adrenaline and urgency, but she could feel herself tiring.

Once she made the plaza in front of Stark Tower, she crouched behind a burnt out truck and caught her breath, shoving her hair out of her face. What she wouldn't give for a hair band right now…

She looked down at the gun in her hand, the smooth black metal now marred by soot and blood, warm beneath her fingers. She had five rounds left in the magazine.

She doubted it would do much good against Loki, and she wasn't planning on using it. Flicking the safety catch on, she tucked it into the waistband of her combat trousers, paused, listening as the next squad of Chitauri fighters passed over her, and then bolted from her shelter, zigzagging to make it harder for them to target her. Energy blast after energy blast hit the ground near her feet, and she was forced to literally throw herself through the glass doors of Stark Tower, hoping they would be open; otherwise this would get really embarrassing.

Thankfully, they gave way before her, and she collapsed on the floor. Several Chitauri dropped from the sky after her, but the doors slammed shut and were those metal blast doors dropping down over the glass?

_"Doctor Foster, please do not be alarmed. Mr Stark warned me you were coming."_

Jane jumped out of her skin, before jumping to her feet before she remembered. Jarvis, the AI Stark created.

"Thanks," she muttered breathlessly. "Keep an eye on those guys. They're pretty nasty."

_"Indeed, Doctor Foster. You are safe, for now, but might I suggest you get moving? Loki and Thor are currently locked in combat on the top floor of the building."_

Jane scrambled over to the elevators, jamming the button but the doors remained closed. "Jarvis?" she asked, eying the elevators mutinously.

_"Apologies, Doctor. I am currently in the process of restarting the arc reactor, but it may take some time. Might I suggest the stairs?"_

"Ok, how many steps are there in Stark Tower?" Jane asked, with a faux tone of patience.

_"Three thousand, five hundred and twenty six."_

"Gee, great," Jane groaned, as her ribs twinged at the mere thought. "Ok," she breathed out. "I'll get climbing. ETA on the arc reactor?"

_"Ten minutes, Doctor."_

"Ok," Jane nodded, turning towards the fire door beside the elevators. "Tell me when they're online."

_Meanwhile, I have a bloody marathon to do!_

* * *

By the fifth staircase, Jane was ready to kill.

Her side burned with every breath, and her legs weren't much better. Sweat poured down her face and back, and her hair stuck irritatingly to the nape of her neck. She swiped it away from her face angrily, as she started up the sixth staircase.

An explosion rocked the building, and Jane gasped. She had a bad feeling she knew what, or rather who, had just caused that explosion. Finding a new store of strength, she pushed on, using her anger to keep going, to keep breathing and forcing oxygen around her body to her screaming muscles, as she mentally planned exactly what she was going to say to Loki, and the migraine she was going to give him when this was over.

And then a **_very _**long vacation.

Although something in the back of her head whispered it probably wouldn't be as simple as that. Even if she succeeded and managed to stop Loki without either of them dying, she doubted SHIELD or his father was going to just forgive and forget everything Loki had done, extenuating factors or not.

For a moment doubt assailed her, and she faltered on her way up the seventh staircase, before her jaw hardened and she angrily shook her head, as if swatting away an annoying fly.

By the eleventh staircase, she was muttering dire threats against AIs under her breath.

_"Now, now Doctor Foster, no need for insults or threats of violence."_

Jarvis's voice suddenly echoed in the stairwell, and she paused outside the door leading to the twelfth floor, hopefully. _"I have restored minimal power to the building, however the arc reactor is somewhat damaged. You must hurry before it loses power."_

"Great. Climb twelve floors and get stuck in an elevator," she muttered mutinously under her breath, before shouldering her way through the door and past empty offices and labs to the elevators.

As the elevator moved, Jane waited uneasily, half-expecting the lights to shudder and die, then the whole damn thing to get stuck. Thankfully, it did not and Jane almost forced the doors apart as she made it to the final floor. And stopped dead when she realised there were more stairs involved.

_"Apologies, Doctor but Mr Stark has sealed off his private elevator to his living quarters. I have disabled the security on the fire escape."_

"Ok, let's do this then," Jane groaned, tearing through the door. "If he doesn't listen to me after the hell I've just gone through, I'll throw away the keys myself."

* * *

She tore through the final door and into Stark's ruined apartment, glass covering the floor and the wind roaring through the gaps. Outside, she could hear grunts and cries as Loki and Thor fought, and as she ran forward, she could see them too.

Without anymore time or breath for thought, she rushed through the glass doors, shouting as loudly as she could, "STOP IT!"

Both men stopped and stared at her, disengaging from their wrestling enough for Jane to insert herself between them, hands up and held palm out to them, as if she could keep them from fighting with her body alone. She glanced at Thor, for a second, then directed all her attention to Loki, who was gazing at her with wide-eyed shock.

"Jane…" he breathed, and she stepped towards him.

"Loki," she replied softly, barely audible against the roar of the wind and the battle below them. "Please stop this now. You know this isn't right, that this isn't what you want."

Loki's eyes glowed blue and he smirked cruelly. "And you believe you know what I want, little mortal? You, who has lived a handful of insignificant years, delude yourself that you understand me, a God who has lived millennia and seen things which would destroy your tiny mind?"

"Yes," she replied, confidently and firmly. That made him draw up short, as he stared at her, and she saw a glimmer of green in his eyes. "Loki, much as you have been made to believe it, you are not a monster."

"You know nothing of what you speak," he snarled, raising his sceptre warningly. "Now stand aside. I have no wish to harm you."

"There, that's it, right there!" Jane replied fiercely. "I'm an insignificant mortal except you can't harm me, you can't hurt me. You don't want to."

"I am a Frost Giant, Jane. You know nothing of what I am capable," Loki retorted, bestially, but Jane was unafraid.

"And who told you Frost Giants are monsters? Your father? Your mother? Whoever gave you the Chitauri and manipulated you into coming here?" Jane asked pleadingly. "Who are they to decide who and what you are? Only you can decide that, and you don't have to be this, Loki. Stop now, and be free of all these lies and manipulation. Help us."

The green shone brighter in Loki's eyes, and she saw the jewel in the crown of his sceptre glowing brighter, as if in retaliation to her words. Loki's jaw tensed, and he seemed to be fighting within himself. "You speak of lies and manipulations," he asked, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"You told me Thor threw you off the Bifrost, remember, the night you made me look into the heart of the Tesseract. She showed me everything," Jane murmured. "Loki, Thor did not throw you off. You let go."

"No," he shook his head, stepping back from her and fear lanced through Jane's heart. "No, you lie. He threw me, I remember! I was unworthy, a stolen relic, nothing more!"

"No," Thor breathed but Jane motioned him to be quiet.

"I have never lied to you," Jane snapped back. "And I'm not lying now! I looked into the heart of the Tesseract and saw everything that happened to you before you fell, and I promise you, I am telling you the truth. Whoever's hurt you, whoever's lied to you, they've distorted your memories. Everything you've done has been based on a lie."

"And the rejection of my so-called father? Did I dream that too?" Loki demanded, but Jane was reluctantly hopeful when he didn't deny her claim any further.

"No, you didn't. He was wrong," she continued firmly, and he stilled, stunned anew. She reached out and placed a hand over his on the shaft of the sceptre. Gathering her courage, she looked up into his eyes, refusing to look away beneath the sheer intensity in his, the colour flashing between forest green and ice blue quicker than thought.

Thor was as silent as the grave behind her, and she momentarily wondered if he was alright, before all her attention was focussed on Loki again. He had to be her priority.

"All your life has been based on a lie, Loki," she murmured softly, compassionately as she gazed up at him, openly, without fear. "But you don't have to play to their tune, you don't have to be what they want you to be. You can choose to be **_more_**, and take what is freely given, instead of taking by force and fighting all your life to keep it. You can choose to have what you really want."

"And what is freely given? What is it that I want?" he asked, hoarsely, his voice rough, his eyes dark as they settled into a green-blue shade, the blue growing dimmer. Jane's heart stuttered, as she released his hand and cupped the side of his face with her hand, the cold of his cheek guard against her palm.

"To belong," she whispered. "To belong somewhere, to someone, without any deceptions or lies or glamours. You can have that, Loki."

"Jane, I belong nowhere. Jane…" he breathed, and her heart stopped as the words stilled at the tip of her tongue. All pain, fear and doubt were gone; here, now, in this moment, Jane knew with every fibre of her being that this was right.

"You can belong with me, **_to _**me," she breathed. "And I'll belong to you, with you, but only if you stop this now."

The blue in his eyes faded away entirely, and the jewel in the sceptre crackled, as if angry, but Jane and Loki ignored it, lost in each other's eyes. Without another thought, she reached up and kissed him.

She felt him tense up in surprise, but she kept kissing him, the coolness of his lips beneath her own, the hardness of them against her own, as she pressed herself, with utter trust, against him.

Slowly the ice beneath her lips thawed, and he moaned slightly, moving into her with a suddenness that took her breath away. The sceptre clattered to the floor beside them, as both arms came around Jane's waist, hauling her against him with an urgency that made her melt, as she looped her arms around his neck.

She longed to bury her hands in his hair, but the helmet prevented that, as one of his slid into her own hair. He tilted his head over hers, deepening the kiss until Jane could barely think, or breathe, or even remember her own name.

Everything fell away, sound, light, worry, fear, sorrow; everything until it narrowed down to Loki and Jane, their world comprised of only each other. She even forgot the pain of her cracked ribs as she pressed impossibly closer, Loki's strong arms holding her as if he longed for nothing more than to absorb her into his very soul.

Gradually the kiss came to an end, their lips lingering on each other's, reluctant to part. Their entire relationship, their weeks of captivity, of threats and insults, of sparring and defiance, of dancing around one another, denying the truth even as they confirmed it more with each passing second; all of it led to this moment, and Jane had never felt more alive, never more right. She was where she belonged. He was where he belonged.

His hands came up to mirror the one of hers pressed to his cheek, as he leant his forehead on hers, the cold crest of his helmet against her skin, before she was gathered and held to him, her head beneath his chin. She closed her eyes and simply held him tightly, feeling tears well up but she refused to let them free.

Finally his arms loosened enough for her to look back up at him, and her heart thrilled to see his eyes were a solid, beautiful green, untainted by the mad, icy blue she had seen for weeks.

"You strange, unearthly thing," he breathed. "What have you done to me?"

"Right back at you," she quipped quietly, and he chuckled. She sobered, as another explosion came and she glanced around, past Thor and to a group of Chitauri currently playing goose with Stark. "We have to stop this."

"I…know," Loki breathed, as if with difficulty, as Jane looked back to him worriedly. He closed his eyes and his grip tightened on her again, as she held him supportively. "Forgive me, the conditioning is trying to reassert itself again. Thanos is not easily denied."

"Fight it, please," Jane whispered. "You're so much more than anything anyone has ever said of you. You can do this."

He opened his eyes determinedly, and she was relieved to see they were still solidly green.

"Thanos?" Thor finally spoke up, and she was not surprised to hear horror in his voice. "That was who you have been with, Brother, all that time?"

Loki stiffened slightly at the word 'Brother' but Jane squeezed his arm, and he relaxed. "Yes. It may be too late to stop this. I do not know…"

"No, we can. Together," Thor murmured, as Loki looked down at Jane, trusting and warm in his arms. His jaw firmed and he nodded shortly to Thor, before swiftly bending his head to Jane's and kissing her again, forcefully, a kiss she met with passion that melted the ice in his veins.

"I must get to the Tesseract," he breathed in the instance their lips parted. "Stay safe."

* * *

Jane struggled to remember how to breathe as he summoned the sceptre to his hand, the jewel glowing only dully now, before he walked away without a glance, and she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She turned to meet Thor's sad, blue eyes and felt suddenly guilty. She had basically ended it with him only hours before and to be kissing his brother in front of him…

"Thor," she murmured uneasily, but he just shook his head. There was no accusation, no betrayal in his soft gaze, just acceptance and resignation.

"Get inside, Jane. Stay there, no matter what you may hear," he told her gently, and she nodded, before running back inside. Her heart pounded and as she sat down on a patch of sofa not covered in broken glass, she uneasily wondered how the two Aesir were going to stop this.

* * *

Loki could feel the confusion and the tearing, wrenching agony of Jane's brutal, unrelenting revelations warring in his mind, with every memory he possessed, every word Thanos had ever said to him, as he sprinted to the roof of Stark Tower, where the portal and the Tesseract stood.

Stanley was passed out on the ground, no doubt from the rebound when Stark tried to destroy the portal with his repulsors and hit the energy barrier. Loki paid him little mind as he rushed to the barrier, Thor at his side. A war raged inside his head.

_You weak fool! Undone by the kiss of a mortal!_

* * *

_I am not weak! She was right, and I have played the fool all along…_

_Take what is rightfully yours! Take the earth and your little mortal! Prove yourself a king!_

_I will be no one's pawn any more! Not the All-Father's, and not Thanos's!_

_You are a monster, an aberration of nature, the son of a race of monsters. Why fight your destiny?_

_I am my own person and I decide who and what I shall be._

* * *

With that thought, his resolve firmed, and he stepped forward, glancing up at the torn sky, and then down at the portal.

"What are you going to do?" Thor asked, frowning. Loki ignored him, pacing around the portal while the city was torn apart around him.

"There is no other way," he breathed to himself. He raised the staff, and inserted it into the energy barrier, making it give way before him. Thor watched, silently, uneasy as his hand clenched around Mjolnir. Loki refused to look at him, until the blade of the sceptre touched the Tesseract, and he met his brother's blue, blue eyes and smiled.

It was a small thing, tiny and full of sadness, bitterness and the twisted love he still held for Thor, as he said, "Look after her. Protect her for me."

"Loki…" Thor began, just as Loki summoned a powerful burst of magic from the sceptre, channelling it into the cradle of the Tesseract. The energy barrier exploded, sending Thor flying backwards through the air, as it rose, higher and higher, obscuring Loki entirely, until it suddenly flung upwards, into the portal, with a great rush of wind and fire, and suddenly every single Chitauri and Leviathan all over the city collapsed, taking entire buildings with them in their ruin.

Silence fell, rent only by the sound of sirens and the screams of civilians in the streets. In the air, Thor had regained control of his flight and hovered above the destroyed roof of Stark Tower, horror and grief in his eyes as he searched the wreckage for any sign of Loki, before hopelessly meeting the eyes of the woman standing on the balcony below, horror and heartbreak in her tear-filled eyes.

* * *

_**A/N: **_**Finally get to write the scene I've been itching to do since I started this thing. Jane and her superpower: the magic kiss, ;D. Anyway, this will be the last update until after the 10th May, since I have exams on the 8th and the 10th, and I really need to concentrate on revision now :).**


	16. To Live Again

Lost Before The Dawn

Warnings: None.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Rue's Farewell' from 'The Hunger Games' and 'Sayuri's Theme' from 'Memoirs of a Geisha'.

* * *

'_It is always surprising how small a part of life is taken up by meaningful moments. Most often they are over before they start although they cast a light on the future and make the person who originated them unforgettable.'_

_- Anna and the King_

* * *

Silence reigned in the small, cold room, made a thousand times smaller by the towering figure sat at the table, his eyes fixed on the table, blonde hair shining in the too-bright lighting from the overhead strips. His armour _creaked _as he shifted on his chair, the flimsy metal structure straining to take his weight.

The dark figure sitting opposite him eyed him piercingly, his single eyes wide with disbelief and a slight tinge of wonder at the tale he had just heard. Of all the ways for this situation to end, he had never expected this.

Loki, the alien that had killed eighty people in two days, enslaved some of their best minds and caused untold destruction, had been the one to close the portal from whatever dark corner of the Universe the Chitauri had come from, and saved the entire, bloody, city.

Well, that was certainly the biggest turnaround he'd ever witnessed. He was still wrapping his head around it.

He just didn't understand. "What did it? What made him change his mind?" he finally asked, as Thor looked up from his hands on the table, eyes dry but awash with pain and grief.

A bitter quirk of the lip accompanied the rumble of his voice, as Thor answered with one word, that echoed in the air around them. "Jane."

Fury stared at him, unable to say anything as the God stood, turning away. He paused, and looked back at the human, with a fervent stare Fury found hard to hold.

"My brother did much harm and I do not try to excuse his crimes. Had he survived, he would still have faced justice. But in the end, he did right," Thor suddenly said, his fist clenching. "If I ask one thing, it is that you remember that."

Fury could do nothing but nod, as Thor turned away for the last time.

* * *

Once upon a time, Jane's life had been simple. She had been an astrophysicist, a scientist whose job it was to unlock the secrets of the universe. She'd been ignored and ridiculed for years because of her theories, sent into virtual exile into the deserts of New Mexico.

She almost wishes she was still there.

That she'd never gone out that night, into the desert, and found Thor, that she'd never met him, never become entangled in the lives of beings older and far more powerful than her and never had to stand by while people she cared for were hurt, or died.

It had been a week since that awful few minutes atop Stark Tower, where she'd witnessed the implosion of the portal, the Tesseract and Loki. As soon as the portal had closed and Thor pulled her from the wreckage of the building, they'd found both Stanley and the Tesseract in the rubble of the roof, but no sign of Loki's body. Stanley was in the ICU but doing well, and Thor now guarded the Tesseract.

And she…was just waiting. For her life to start again, for her wounds, not so much physical as emotional, to heal so she could begin again.

* * *

Stark had whisked her away from the SHIELD medical facility where she had been taken, and to a house he owned outside Los Angeles, private and secluded, so no one would bother her, for as long as she needed it.

None of the Avengers had said anything to her but she could remember the heavy weight of their pity as she walked past them, with Thor's arm around her shoulders, stricken and physically weakened by the explosion and her injuries.

The house Stark had loaned her was a small but luxurious cottage, on the beach, swathed from view of the road by palm trees and the long, winding drive that led up to the whitewashed wooden doors. Inside, the décor was slightly too masculine and rococo, with the leather furnishings and red tiles of the floor, but it reminded her of New Mexico, a comforting anchor in her still unsettled world.

Her bedroom was light and airy, in contrast to the downstairs, connected to an upstairs living room/study stocked with books, and a private bathroom with the largest bath Jane had ever seen.

She could lie in bed, the French doors to the small balcony open to the sea, and watch the crashing of the waves on the shore only a few hundred metres away, the sea breeze wafting through the cottage all day and all night. After the whole mess that her life had become, that was one pleasure she'd rediscovered.

It was one of only a few.

She regularly experienced nightmares, of the Chitauri, of Loki and the explosion that had taken his life, of the blue of his eyes as they transmuted to iridescent green. Of James, lying in a hospital bed, barely recognisable under the mass of tubes and sheets covering him, Patsy lying with lifeless eyes, the Destroyer as it tore apart Puente Antiguo, the warmth of Loki's lips as he kissed her, goodbye as she realised now.

She hadn't got much sleep over the past seven nights.

She'd spoken on the phone, both Erik and to Darcy, and managed to convince them not to see her. She just wanted to be alone, with her grief and her confusion. Besides, she doubted they'd understand.

The SHIELD psychiatrist had told her she was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, and she suspected that was what everyone believed, except for Thor, Stark and a few of the others. She was grateful they'd taken her away from all those eyes watching her every move, half-pitying, half-contemptuous.

* * *

She sighed as the morning light cut a shaft across her bedcovers, warming her skin above the tank top she wore to bed. It was rather lazy, but she didn't have the energy or the will to get up, especially after another restless night spent in nightmares and dreams that left her in such a state of longing, that she crushed her face into her pillows just to stop herself from crying again. She'd done enough crying.

And why was she even crying?

A sane person would no doubt be glad they were free, of SHIELD, of the Tesseract and most especially of Loki. But despite all the thinking about how much her life used to be simple before he came into her life, she missed him.

She wanted him by her side, here, now. It wasn't supposed to be this way, he was supposed to be there, with her, not drifting in a million, microscopic pieces in the atmosphere.

But she somehow realised that she'd lost what most people deemed to be sanity a very long time ago. Someone once said there was a thin line between genius and insanity, and that the difference was usually whether they were successful. They'd told her she was insane for believing in her theories, and she had turned out to be right. They thought she was insane now, for believing in Loki, in the man she saw beneath the monster, and well…that hadn't turned out so well.

She just wanted to see him again, one last time.

With a frustrated growl, she flung back the covers of her bed and made her way into the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were gaunt, and pale, dark shadows beneath her eyes, framed by lank brown hair. She needed a shower.

Jane felt marginally better after her shower, as she dressed in jeans and a light blouse, walking down to the kitchen to put some coffee on. She didn't have any research or work to do, but Stark had made sure she had plenty of reading material while she recovered. Perhaps reading the latest papers on particle theory would be enough to distract her from the gnawing pain in her chest.

Reminding her of her failure, that she hadn't been able to save him.

As Jane reached for the cup, her hand trembled and she turned it into a fist, closing her eyes as tears clouded her vision for the millionth time. She would not cry.

A knock suddenly came at the door, loud and almost taking the door off its hinges and a pained smile crept across her face. Only one person knocked like that.

Thor.

The hulking God was golden in the sunlight, as she smiled dispassionately at the brother of the man she had lost, and gestured him inside. Any sane woman would be melting into a puddle at the sight of him, and maybe she had once, as she remembered the scramble to tidy up her trailer in Puente Antiguo, when he brought Erik back from the bar. Not anymore.

She served him coffee in silence, and they stood in the kitchen, awkward and tense.

"Jane?" Thor finally broke his brooding silence. "How do you fare? Are you…healing?"

Jane smiled, slightly strained. "I'm ok, Thor. My ribs are getting better every day," she replied, but he shook his head.

"That is not what I meant," he breathed, and Jane looked away, focusing on the warm ceramic in her hand. She knew what he meant.

"It…hurts, Thor. So much," she breathed, the tears coming back with a vengeance but she pushed them away. "Crazy, huh? Sad over the guy who abducted you, threatened you, knocked you out multiple times and then-"

"You loved him," Thor interrupted her, and she stared at him, frowning. "Do not deny your feelings, Jane."

"I don't know what I felt for him," she replied. "All I know is it hurts."

"It would not pain you, if you felt nothing, Jane," Thor retorted, setting down his cup. "Did you…feel such grief for me?"

Jane swallowed hard. "I felt worried, sad. I didn't know if you were dead, Thor, I only had hope," she began to explain, haltingly, knowing he needed, he deserved to hear this. "You were gone for so long, and I know now you had no choice and that you had to choose between me and the deaths of millions of innocents. But I didn't know you were dead, Thor, and I kept going. I had my work, and at first it was all to find you, but when that faded, I realised it was just for me. _**I **_needed to do this, to prove everyone wrong and solve the final puzzle keeping us here on Earth."

Thor nodded. "I would have come back for you, Jane," he said gently, and she nodded.

"I know," she breathed. "But what was between us, Thor, what was it, really? Lust? Friendship?" she asked, as he frowned. "How well do you know me? My life, my flaws, my strengths, my greatest desires and my darkest fears?"

"I know none of those things," Thor murmured, a reflective look in his eye. "Had we had time, perhaps I might have come to know those things, but I accept that time is past."

"We're from separate worlds. Maybe they were separate for a reason," Jane shrugged. "You will always have other things, Thor, things that are more important to you than me. And that's fine, it is, and I respect that. But I need more."

Thor nodded, with a deep sigh. "I must admit, a part of me hoped that maybe, with time our past relationship could resume, but I doubt even I wish for that now," he told her, moving closer and taking her hand. Jane smiled weakly.

"We're different people now, from those two people kissing in the desert," she told him. "You're a dear friend, Thor, and you've helped me so much. I can't say how grateful I am, but this, _**us**_, just is not going to happen. There is someone else out there, just waiting for you to find her, and you will."

"And you?" he asked, as Jane shrugged, her gaze suddenly distant and forlorn.

"Probably go back to work. Do what I do best," she breathed, taking his empty cup and putting it with hers in the sink. "Can't stay here forever."

"I do not think Stark would mind if you stayed here," he shrugged warmly, yet he now retreated from her, and she could see the enforced distance in his stance, the way he held himself apart from her. She had hurt him, but what else could she do? She couldn't even conceive of feeling anything for anyone at the moment, she could barely handle her own emotions. She didn't want to contemplate another relationship, not after…_**him**_. "And Asgard will always be open to you. Once I return the Tesseract, we can repair the Bifrost and you can come to us, any time."

"Thank you," Jane smiled, sincerely. "I'll definitely come, one day."

"I must return," Thor suddenly bowed deeply, and she stared, before inclining her head to him. He glanced at her sadly, looking so weary and bent by sorrow, yet the movement of her head held all the regal grace of a Queen. His love for her would dissipate with time, into friendship, he was sure of it, but it would take time and a part of his heart would always belong to her. She would have made a good Queen. "Goodbye, my lady, until we meet again."

Thor smiled, as he turned away and left the kitchen. Just before she heard the door close, she froze as his voice rang through the cottage. "And tell that slippery, trickster brother of mine that he too is expected home before long. There is much to talk about."

* * *

Jane stood, as if frozen like ice, before she finally moved, shouting Thor's name but he was long gone.

He couldn't have meant…could he? Was…Loki…alive? But how? Why was he hiding himself? Was it all some lie, meant to torture her?

If it had been anyone but Thor, she'd have given it more than a second's thought, but this was _**Thor**_ she was talking about. She wasn't certain he knew how to lie, or had a truly malicious bone in his body. Great, now she felt guilty on top of everything else she was feeling. Her head hurt, and she just wanted it all to go away.

Loki, alive. She couldn't even compute that at the moment, and pain twinged in her gut as she considered why he hadn't shown himself to her. Perhaps he thought she could not be trusted? That SHIELD was watching? What if he relapsed, what if Thanos's conditioning took hold of him again?

Thor had explained who and what Thanos was, before she left SHIELD, and no wonder Loki became the creature he did. He was screwed up as it was when he fell from the Bifrost, and Thanos must have thought it was his birthday when Loki dropped into his lap. Powerful, hovering on the edge of insanity, filled with heartbreak, bitterness, rage and darkness, she doubted it was too difficult to warp Loki's memories and tip him over the edge, feeding him rage even as he gave him power and the means to take back what had been ripped from him.

Remembering the glimpses of fear she had seen him, she doubted it had just been psychological torture Thanos had used to condition Loki. She'd heard of using torture, both physical and mental, to brainwash people.

But the thought, that he could be alive…Jane just suddenly felt tired, her mind too broken to face the prospect of hope. If he was alive, she'd definitely be giving him a migraine.

After taking an aspirin for her headache, she retreated back to her bedroom. She'd only got a few hours sleep the night before, and she just wanted to sink back into her soft bed, the covers too light to make her hot in the California heat.

She changed back into her tank top and sweatpants, standing in the centre of her bedroom as she looked out through the open doors, over the balcony to the sea beyond. She felt goosebumps along her back, and she shivered. Was he watching her?

Taking her courage in her hands, she turned, but she was disappointed to find the room empty behind her. Sighing, she walked towards the bed, pulling the covers back, before the same feeling washed over her, and she inhaled sharply. She was done playing games.

"If you're there, Loki, just…stay. Stay with me while I fall asleep. Please," she breathed to the empty, humid air, and for a moment she felt a pressure against her throat, soft and possessive, as if someone was running a hand up the front of her neck. Closing her eyes, she arched her neck to the side as the phantom caresses continued, before lethargically opening her eyes and lowering herself into bed, leaving the covers half off her body.

Still the room was empty but for her, but as she felt pressure against her back, and the feeling of arms around her waist, she just didn't have the energy for hope or for anger. She closed her eyes and slept, peacefully, for the first time in a week.


	17. Call Her Crazy

Lost Before The Dawn

Warnings: Some suggestive themes.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'A Small Measure of Peace' from 'The Last Samurai'.

* * *

'_Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of a joy, you must have somebody to divide it with.'_

_- Mark Twain_

'_To be or not to be, that is the question'._

_- William Shakespeare_

* * *

By the time Jane woke up, it was to the light of the sunset. As she levered herself up on her elbows, she blinked at the steadily darkening sky, before pulling herself from her bed and grabbing a loose, woolly sweater. She always watched the sunsets now.

As she went outside, onto the beach, the sand both soft and rough between her toes and under her sensitive feet, she shivered again as that feeling of being watched washed over her, but this time, she didn't react.

She just focussed on the sunset, as the fiery sphere sank beneath the curvature of the Earth, in a glorious explosion of red and orange nearest its rim, before the colours faded, through vibrant cerise, into deepest indigo and then to inky blackness, as the first stars dimly twinkled in the darkness above her.

Hearing the crash of the waves on the sand, and the heat of the somnolent sun on her face, she closed her eyes and smiled, freely, for the first time in years.

* * *

_He could still remember the burning pain of the explosion as it consumed his body, tearing him from the conflict in his mind and soul, forcing him to do what he did best. Survive._

_Now Thanos's conditioning had been repressed, the Sceptre was all but powerless in his hand, and he doubted it would have much left. Calling on all his strength, he summoned the final dribble of power from it and used it, to send him far from Stark Tower, far from New York, where SHIELD would never find him._

_He felt cold and freezing wind against his face, and thought that this was somewhat ironic, considering his true heritage as a Frost Giant, before he blacked out, the crystal in the Sceptre dying to a faded, grey cold lump, as his eyes closed, only one word echoing in his head. Jane._

_It kept him sane, gave him an anchor, as the passing hours turned into days, and he fought within himself. Thanos's hold was still strong, and he fought, his body cold and still as he lay, in a cave of ice and snow in the coldest region of the Realm, his Jotunn blood keeping him alive. He could feel the hard ridges and crests of his birthright adorning his skin, catching his armour and tunics, and he could imagine the redness of his eyes and the stony sapphire blue of his skin, but for once, he cared not._

_The fight within him held all his attention and strength, as he fought to see beneath the truth of Thanos's lies, Jane's voice and form, her soft, brutal words his only safeguard._

_That, and the knowledge that he was greater than any who had so easily underestimated him. Odin, Thor, Sif, and now Thanos. _

_His mother once said that one cannot protect, cannot fight against oneself. Beneath the all but overwhelming bitterness and rage inside of him, his memories slowly remade themselves, beneath the false, blinding veil Thanos had laid over his mind, and slowly cold turned to warmth, and darkness to light. The creature he had become, without control, without hope, was chained and imprisoned within him, but he would never be entirely free of him. He held too much darkness within him to be otherwise, but he chose not to let it rule him. He ruled it._

* * *

"_**You have come far, Loki," that familiar voice echoed in his head, the voice of his mother and yet not his mother. When her face appeared in his mind, with a proud smile, he knew it was not her, for her eyes burned with power and the pulsing blue of the Tesseract. She smiled at him with a wink. "You are perceptive, Loki of Asgard. I took this form to better speak with you, here and now. For all your hatred and your anger, you still cannot bring yourself to hate your mother."**_

_**Why? Why her? Why now?**_

"_**I believed this form would be the most...welcome to you, or at least the less hated of your family. **__**I needed to stop you from fulfilling Thanos's bidding. I do not exist to serve any one being, least of all a stunted creature like Thanos. Death cannot exist without Life, and it is in Life that my power resides. I exist, not to be used or enslaved, but to simply exist," she smiled at him again, lovingly. "You did well. Thanos has no hold over your memories now."**_

_**He will not take this insult lightly. He will come for vengeance.**_

_**She nodded. "Then you must be ready, Loki of Asgard," she told him gravely. "The Universe rests in your hands, and the hands of the mortal you desire. Only you can choose to be other than what you have been told to be, Loki…"**_

_**Her voice faded away, and he was left in darkness with his thoughts.**_

* * *

_He chose who and what he was, and he chose __**not**__ to be. He would not be Odin's pawn, or Thanos's slave. He was Loki, and he chose his own path._

_On the sixth day since the destruction of New York, Loki opened his eyes and felt himself again, as he had not since that fateful day in Jotunheim, when the Frost Giant had gripped his arm and torn apart his world._

_His world was still torn, but at last, he was free to choose what he would do with his truth, his life, and he knew what he must do. He left the Sceptre behind him._

_Inevitably his thoughts turned to Jane, and he wondered how she fared. His magic was weak after his injuries and his struggle, but he had enough to leave his icy refuge and travel to her side, cloaked and unseen, even by Thor. _

_He saw a creature just as broken as he, and he felt pain at the thought that he had been responsible for some of that fracturing. She was so bright and full of life, yet beneath the siren-like amber of her eyes, he knew the darkness inside of her, the pride that refused to let her give up when others scoffed at her, the belief, the obsession and the agony that drove her onwards. _

_Her courage was that of a Valkyrie, her beauty of a Queen, and as he recalled her words on Stark Tower, she belonged to him, and he to her._

_He could not be certain SHIELD were not monitoring her, so he watched instead, silent and invisible, as she cried out in her nightmares and thrust away tears, half of sorrow, half of anger, that made him long to reach out to her._

_She was truly an unearthly creature, to do such to him. No other had pierced his heart so, even before the revelations of his birth. She was his equal, who stood eye to eye with his madness and refused to back away, as like called to like. They were like the opposite extremes of the Universe. Jane, as bright and burning as the stars the All-Father had once shown him from his bedchamber window, and he, as cold and dark as the emptiness that surrounded the stars, but not anymore, because she was there. The darkness was filled with light, and he latched onto it with urgency. She was what he needed to survive._

_He watched her conversation with Thor intently, waiting to see if any seeds remained within Jane of her former love for his brother, but there were none. Jane was adamant that she wanted no more of him, and despite all his attempts, he could see even Thor knew there was no future for them now either. _

_So she had meant her words atop the Tower in New York._

_He was not surprised when Thor revealed his continued existence. He had hidden himself from his brother, in order to heal and cast off the last of Thanos's hold on him, but he knew Thor would not be fooled by his ruse, if only because of his blind faith and desperate hope in Loki's redemption. Perhaps the silly brute had had a point after all…_

_He was surprised, however, when Jane sensed his presence and spoke to him. He had tensed, wondering if he should leave, but she had reached out to him, and in the end he could not resist stepping forward and inhaling the sweet scent of her hair, and feel the soft skin of her body beneath his hands once more, as she lay in his arms, sleeping peacefully, more so than he had seen her do since he had first intruded into her mind. They were truly bound, then, if even a mortal could so nearly see through his wards and his spells, and feel him there with her._

_His little mortal. His Jane. And as he stood behind her, watching her as she watched the sunset, all his caution and uncertainty flew to the winds, and he finally lifted the veil hiding him from her sight. No more masks, no more hiding._

_She'd only see through them, as she always had._

* * *

Jane closed her eyes as she walked along the shore, the waves just brushing her bare feet, feeling as if someone was walking by her side. She had long ago stopped wondering if she was crazy, if it meant the gnawing grief inside of her eased.

Finally she stopped and turned back, as the light began to fade, but as she paused in front of the cottage and its welcoming, open doors, the wind ruffling the gauzy drapes, she turned around and folded her arms.

"I'm done playing games, Loki. I know you're there," she said, into the night, silent but for the waves and the cicadas in the bushes a few feet away from the beach. "Why can't you just make this easy, for once in your life?"

Her breath tangled in her throat when she heard his silken, husky voice reply, as lips grazed her hair. "Easy is never worthwhile, dearest…"

Jane still couldn't bring herself to turn around. She didn't want this to be a dream, or her really going crazy. "Are you real?" she asked quietly, and she felt a pair of arms, the hard metal of bracers and the smoothness of a leather tunic, against her as they twined around her waist, pulling her back into a body. She knew that body, had felt it against her own for a few, precious, all-too short moments.

Her ribs twinged. She'd forgotten to take her pain medication, and the moment she hissed in slight pain, one of the hands at her waist slid up her ribcage, and tingling warmth followed in its wake, easing the pain until she barely felt it at all. A choked sob escaped her.

"Does that feel like a dream?" his voice asked gently, and she relaxed into his embrace.

"No," she breathed. "Loki…"

"Look at me, Jane," he breathed in her ear, his lips caressing her neck yearningly, as she arched it back against his shoulder. "See me now. I am here, with you. This is no dream."

"I could be going crazy," she objected and he chuckled against her neck, evoking more shivers down her spine.

"Sanity is overrated, my little mortal," he told her. "Now turn around."

"That sounds more like you," she grumbled mulishly, but her heart was full and alive, burning in her chest. A smile stretched her lips, and she finally turned around.

"Finally, you do as you're told," he retorted, with a wicked smile she knew well, except this time, the darkness was leashed behind his eyes, rather than running rampant and controlling him. He stood before her, pale, his dark hair tangled and lank, his armour and clothes ravaged by the fight and by whatever had happened to him after the explosion, his face only slightly marred by healing cuts.

"Don't expect me to make a habit of it," she replied archly, and his grin widened. Her own faded, and she reached up to touch a still healing cut across his nose. "I thought you were dead."

"It would take more than a mere explosion to destroy me, dearest," he told her haughtily, and she laughed.

"Pity it didn't knock some of that attitude out of you," she retorted snappily, and his grip on her waist tightened.

"You wouldn't want me any other way," Loki said, and she had to admit, he had a point. That, or she'd think he was suffering from amnesia. She told him so, and he laughed, clear and free of malice or mockery, and she impulsively reached up and kissed him, stilling his laughter against her lips. He gathered her to him, as he tilted his head over hers to deepen the kiss, his lips and tongue battling hers for dominance, as one hand slid beneath her sweater and tank top as he pushed her further into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, determined to never let go as he groaned against her.

"What…happened…Loki?" she asked, between desperate kisses that were steadily growing in passion and intent. She knew where this was going, wanted it more than she ever imagined she would, but she still wanted answers. But then his lips drifted down her neck again, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses against the trail of her pulse, and she forgot her point.

"Later," he growled, before he kissed her again, so focussed on making her forget her question, so passionate and irresistible that Jane mentally threw her hands up and gave in.

"Much later," she agreed with a gasp, before kissing him again and forcing herself even closer to him. His chuckle was a tangible shudder against her, so close she felt it in her very soul.

"If this is the method by which I can succeed in shutting you up, Jane Foster, I shall have to do this more often," he hissed, breaking off their kiss. She glowered at him, and he chuckled, unrepentant as he swept her off her feet, into his arms and turned for the cottage.

"In your dreams, buddy," she growled.

"Then never let me wake," he suddenly said, serious and intent, his eyes on her face as she looked up at him, her arms around his neck, safe and protected. Like she'd always felt with him.

She reached up and kissed him again, and he stopped, holding her effortlessly while their lips moved together, as easily as if born to do nothing else but kiss the other. Her hand slid into his hair and gripped, as she tore her lips away and pressed a kiss to his neck, above the collar of his clothing, and his breath hissed through his gritted teeth.

"You are impossible, Jane Foster. An impossible creature," he breathed, then his lips were back on hers as he blindly but confidently negotiated the stairs up to her bedroom.

As he laid her down on the bed, she opened her eyes and smiled at him, as he joined her. She flipped him over onto his back, straddling him quickly and framing his face as he laughed, his eyes flashing like the predator he was, and his hands turned to iron around her face. "Right back at you," she breathed, just before she sealed their lips together once more, feeling nothing but contentment, joy and need at the thought that he was back in her arms, where he belonged, and she was where she belonged. With him.

They still had mountains of stuff to talk about, before this was over, and Jane couldn't know what the future held, but it didn't look quite so dark now he was there. Call her crazy, but she wouldn't have it, or him, any other way.

* * *

_**A/N:**_** Yet another scene I've been dying to write. We are nearly finished, only three chapters remaining, but an AU oneshot of this chapter, called In Extremis, will soon be up and of course, the sequel to this, called Veritas.**

_To be continued…_


	18. Time To Go

Lost Before The Dawn

Warnings: Some suggestive themes.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter Playlist: 'Briseis and Achilles' from 'Troy'.

* * *

'_Absence from those we love is self from self - a deadly banishment.'_

_- William Shakespeare_

* * *

Jane awoke slowly, stretching pleasantly sore muscles, relishing the feel of soft linen against her skin. A delicious kind of warmth permeated every single inch of her limbs, and as she stretched, her hand gently came into contact with the source of that warmth, stretched out beside her, his arm heavy on her waist.

Jane smiled, opening her eyes and willingly leaving her warm, dark haven to see another one, much closer to her, all dark hair, harsh angles and scarred, muscled pale skin. A jagged line crisscrossed his shoulder blade and ribcage, and she lightly traced them with her fingertips. He stirred slightly beneath her touch, moaning softly in his sleep, and she paused, unwilling to wake him.

She had lost count of the hours they'd been together before they had collapsed, exhausted and drained, physically and emotionally. Her mind, usually cluttered with mathematical equations and an endless checklist of things to do the next day, had been empty since that day at Stark Tower, but now rather than the cold, echoing emptiness of grief, her mind was blissfully unable to think of anything, empty and at peace with itself, with Loki's arms around her as she slept.

But now she was awake and she felt full of energy again, as she hadn't felt for days. She needed to move, to walk around, to do _**something**_. She'd never been the lazy sort of person, the type to lounge around in bed all day.

Outside it was still dark, but for a lightening of the horizon. It would be sunrise soon. A new day, a new start.

Carefully, she slid out from beneath Loki's arm, careful not to wake him, and slipped from the warmth of the bed. She reached for the soft, worn old sweater she'd been wearing last night, before Loki had removed it scornfully, as if its very existence offended him, and slipped it back on, pulling her ruffled hair free. The garment only stretched to about mid-thigh, but it would do. Skirting around the floorboards she knew had a tendency to squeak, she tiptoed to the open balcony door, and leant on the doorframe, watching the gradually lightening sky and the waves gently coming in to shore meditatively.

She wasn't sure what was going to happen now. Last night, she had been so caught up in the sheer _**joy**_ of Loki being alive and there in her arms, that she didn't have the room in her mind and heart for anything else. She had been full to bursting, emotionally, but now cold rationale was starting to creep back in.

They needed to talk about what was going to happen now.

He couldn't stay on Earth, that much she did know. SHIELD, despite his selflessness in destroying the portal, would still want to put him on trial for the agents he'd killed while working against them. Selflessness did not wipe all those crimes away, did not bring people back from the dead.

But neither did revenge. Although, a part of Jane snorted at the thought of Loki being entirely selfless. A little bit selfless, sure, but she suspected Loki used that explosion not just to destroy the portal but to throw SHIELD off his scent in the process. He had no intention of allowing SHIELD to take him into custody.

She could understand that, scarily enough. But the question was what would they do now?

She jolted slightly as those words rang in her head. _**We**_, she'd thought, not _**he**_. _Well, of course, Jane. You knew going into this that this was a lifetime thing. So suck it up and face facts, because he needs you. It's either that or a return to Mr Psycho…_

Jane was fairly certain her inner mental voice was not supposed to sound like Tony Stark, as she sighed. She knew when she stepped into Loki's arms atop Stark Tower, and kissed him, that this was not something she could just back out of again. She was in this for the long haul, whatever _**this**_ was. And that was her problem.

What exactly was _**this**_?

She didn't know, and that scared her more than anything. The uncertainty and the fear of things going wrong, and boy if they went wrong, she really was in Troublesville. She closed her eyes, gently thumping her head against the doorframe. She really hated her own head sometimes.

"Jane?" his soft voice breathed in her ear, slightly husky and amused. Oh yeah, definitely amused. "Why, pray tell, are you banging your head against that doorframe?"

"Because I hate my own head sometimes," she muttered, stopping what she was doing but not opening her eyes or turning to face him. "It's annoying me."

"Well, we cannot have that," he chuckled, and she heard the slight creak of the mattress and the rustle of sheets as he left her bed, and padded barefoot across the room to her. Hands gently cradled her head, shielding it from the hard wood, as she was turned and backed against the doorframe, his hands dropping to her waist and holding her tightly. He was still naked, and it was entirely distracting. "I quite like this head as it is, my Jane."

Ok, that blatantly possessive statement did _**not**_ just make her go all warm and fuzzy inside. She sighed, and opened her eyes to meet his, warm and yet sharp, watching her intently. "What is it that troubles you, Jane?" he asked with a sigh, holding her tighter to him.

"What's going to happen now? I mean, with us?" she asked, as his lips quirked into a wicked smirk, and she rolled her eyes, already instinctively knowing what was coming next.

"Well, after I've taken you back to bed and driven you into realms of pleasure the likes of which you've never known-" he began silkily, as she rolled her eyes and hit his shoulder pointedly.

"One track mind much?" she asked sarcastically, as he pulled her tighter to him and she gasped as their lower bodies pressed together tightly. "You're incorrigible."

He bent his head and kissed the words from her lips, as her arms tightened around his neck and she moaned, the fire under her skin reigniting. Both were panting when he drew back, smiling teasingly, his hands roaming her body freely.

"We cannot stay here," he stated firmly, as she nodded to herself. He looked unsure for a moment, his smile fading entirely, as she watched him cautiously. "I was not certain if you wished…if you-"

Jane took a deep breath, looking away for a moment to the sunrise, just setting the sky ablaze with pink and fiery orange hues, before meeting his eyes again, fiercely. "Where you go, I go," she told him quietly, her words echoing between them like the vow it was. "There's nothing left here for me, not really. I will always be an oddity, something untrustworthy and curious to those like SHIELD, and to everyone else I'll always be the crackpot scientist with mad theories. SHIELD won't let my research become common knowledge until it suits them, and I don't feel like waiting around for them."

"There are wonders beyond count, beyond this world, just waiting for you Jane," he replied softly. "I will show them all to you."

"Glad to hear it," she quipped. "Wouldn't want to get bored. But what first?"

His lips quirked again, almost bitterly self-deprecating. "My magic is depleted and my strength is still returning. I cannot travel between Realms as I once did, much less with a passenger. And there are my deeds to consider. It is time to take responsibility for them."

"I'm glad to hear it," she repeated, albeit more seriously this time, as she stroked his hair back from his face, before running her hand down his neck to his chest. "It takes a lot of guts owning up to the fact you did wrong, Loki. You're a better man than anyone admits, except maybe me. And Thor."

"Ahh yes, my ever-hopeful, naïve would-be brother. He always was excessively dim," he replied dryly, prompting another smack from Jane. "You are getting far too abusive with your hands, my lady. They have far more pleasurable uses, I can assure you."

"I bet you can," Jane rolled her eyes before laughing, a free, unrestrained laugh that had her arching her head back and grinning like the mad person she was fairly certain she was. "God, this is crazy. I'm crazy."

"Not crazy, merely extraordinary," Loki retorted intently, as she gently brushed his lips with hers. "I must return to Asgard. They must be warned of the threat Thanos poses to the Universe, and I have no doubt I will be punished for my crimes against the Realm and against Midgard."

"Then I'm coming with you," Jane said determinedly. "There's no way you're doing this alone, and I have one or two things to say to Odin myself."

Loki stared at her, then laughed. "I am certain he will be quaking in fear of our arrival, dearest Jane."

They sobered after a moment, as Jane glanced out at the sunrise once more. "When do we leave?" she asked quietly.

"Today. SHIELD will soon be on our trail. If, as I suspect, the Tesseract has been used to repair the Bifrost, we will have to return to the closest imprint from its last use here," he explained, as she nodded.

"Puente Antiguo," she breathed. "Should take us about a day or two. I want to go to Colorado first, there's someone I need to say goodbye to."

"It will be dangerous to delay, Jane," Loki retorted, his voice low and warning. "We cannot afford distractions-"

"This is non-negotiable, Loki. Erik is like a father to me, I owe him this much," she cut him off forcefully, as he eyed her narrowly. When she showed no signs of weakening, he capitulated with a sigh.

"Very well, we shall visit this Erik first. But we must leave soon," he sighed, before hauling her closer to him, with an ever-growing wicked smirk. "But first things first, my indomitable lady…"

Jane smiled teasingly, reaching up to kiss him heatedly. In this at least, there was no uncertainty. She clung to its newness, its exotic thrill, as he dragged her sweater up and over her head, before placing his hands back on her skin. "We should probably move away from the balcony," she pointed out breathlessly, as his lips marked her neck possessively. She knew she'd have a mark later.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed him away. His face darkened, but she just shook her head at him, took his hand and led him towards her bathroom. If she was going to be driving across three States, she wanted a good shower.

And if she knew Loki, it'd probably be a very long shower too…

* * *

True to Jane's prediction, she didn't get out of the shower before a good hour had passed. Leaving him to finish up, she dressed quickly in jeans, her most comfortable sneakers, a t-shirt and a plaid shirt over the top, coiling her damp hair into a bun at the base of her neck.

She went downstairs to start the coffee, snooping through the refrigerator before grabbing some stuff randomly and finding a bag to stow it in. She didn't want to have to stop unless absolutely necessary for gas. She had a small car Stark had loaned her, since she turned down the flashy convertible, the name of which she didn't even know, much to Stark's utter exasperation and horror.

After the coffee had brewed, she poured some of it into a thermos she'd found, tucked away in a cupboard, before pouring two cups. She hesitated over his, not sure if he liked it the same as hers, then shrugged. Let him decide.

He still wasn't out of the shower. Frowning, slightly worried, she went back upstairs to find the small bag she'd brought with her to the cottage, but found herself once more hesitating as she looked down at her clothing. How much should she take?

Forcing away her uncertainty, Jane shoved as much as in as she could, taking a few changes of clothes and underwear, determined not to let herself think about anything. She was so engrossed, she didn't notice the shower shutting off, or the door opening a few moments later.

"You need not worry about clothing," his voice carried to her across the bedroom, as she jumped and spun to face him. And her jaw dropped open slightly.

He was dressed as casually as she, in jeans and a plaid shirt, but what surprised her most of all was the change to his hair. Freed of whatever he'd used to keep it slicked back, it was soft and wavy against his face, making her fingers itch to bury themselves in it.

"I don't want to be entirely dependent on you," she replied softly, as he walked across the room to her side, taking the bag from her and dropping it to the floor, before pulling her into his arms. So possessive, so claiming, and it only made her heart soften to him even more. Damn it, Jane.

"You won't be. You will be an honoured guest, Thor and the Queen will, no doubt, make certain of that," he told her firmly. "No one will dare offer you insult."

"Because you'll turn them into a toad if they do?" she asked, teasingly, touched by what he'd said. He smiled gently, before leaning in and kissing her heatedly.

"Perhaps," he murmured. Jane shuddered and leaned up to kiss him again. This was getting to be addictive.

"You are a bad influence," she told him decisively, as she pushed away from his arms and picked up her bag, despite the rolling of his eyes. "Come on, we need to get going."

* * *

Loki enjoyed the coffee as much as she did, although thankfully he didn't smash the mug on the kitchen floor and demand another, but she noticed he didn't eat as she wolfed down a banana and some toast.

He noticed her scrutiny, and smiled. "I need not eat often, if necessary, Jane. It doesn't affect me in the same way it would a human," he explained, and she nodded.

"Just curious," she muttered, placing her plate in the sink, and reaching for the mugs. "Although they always say curiosity killed the cat."

"Not this cat," he whispered in her ear, trapping her against the sink, her back to his chest. "She is mine and I will never allow any harm to come to her."

His declaration both thrilled and frightened her, as she shuddered against him. She closed her eyes, summoning her strength as she unclenched her fists from the cold metal of the sink. "You do that on purpose, don't you?" she asked, as he chuckled and encircled her waist with his arms once more.

"Whatever do you mean, dearest Jane?" he asked, clearly distracted from his possessive words.

"The whole dark-brooding-and-sexy act, and you know it, which makes it ten times worse," she replied archly, turning around in his hold. He smirked and raised his eyebrows haughtily, as Jane just laughed. "So not scary, Loki."

"Odd though it may seem, I have no desire to frighten you ever again, Jane. Others, however…" he trailed off, as she rolled her eyes.

"Incorrigible," she muttered, reaching up for another kiss, as he willingly obliged.

"Stubborn," he countered lightly, straightening once more although his hold on her waist didn't ease. His face sobered, and he looked to her seriously. "I know that this…new facet of our relationship is disquieting, Jane. But we will…figure it out, as you mortals say, together."

Jane was speechless for a moment, before she smiled and stroked his cheek tenderly. "Together," she promised, before he released her, and she led the way out to the car, locking the door behind them and hiding the key under the mat. She'd considered leaving a note, but she didn't want to inadvertently give SHIELD anything to track them with. Stark would know how grateful she was, for everything, just as certainly he'd know where she'd gone and who with.

It was time to go.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	19. Two Outcasts

Lost Before The Dawn

Warnings: None.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Goodbyes' from 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1' and 'Gwen and Arthur' from 'Merlin: Series Two'

* * *

_'Could we see when and where we are to meet again, we would be more tender when we bid our friends goodbye.'_  
_**- Ovid**_

* * *

Jane felt her skin prickling with unease the entire drive to Colorado. She was jumpy and tense, constantly glancing at her rear-view and wing mirrors, to check they were not being pursued. Almost every car was glared at, but especially the shiny, sleek black ones that looked like they could be SHIELD cars, then she reminded herself they wouldn't be stupid enough to come after them in something so conspicuous.

Which just made her twice as jumpy as before. By the time they made Denver University, she was as jumpy as a Jack-in-the-Box. Loki, wisely, said little to her, but she sensed his amused glances every so often.

A part of Jane didn't want to arrive. Didn't want to arrive because that meant she would have to tell him, just a little, of what she was planning or at least that she was going away and not coming back any time soon. What was she going to tell him?

Erik had been offered a teaching post at Denver just after the Puente Antiguo incident, before Jane got the call from SHIELD. She had encouraged him to take it, especially after she agreed to work for SHIELD. After all the trouble of the last few weeks, Jane was doubly glad Erik was safely out of the way of all the danger and aliens. He'd had enough of that to last him a lifetime. She'd missed him, sometimes, during late nights spent doing little more than staring at the Tesseract in its cradle and thinking. Erik had always been there with a word of encouragement, even when her theories defied accepted conventions and academic limits. She didn't know what to say to him, she just knew she had to say goodbye. She owed him that.

A warm hand suddenly clasped hers on the wheel, and she glanced sideways at her up until now silent passenger. Loki sat beside her, deceptively normal in his mortal clothes, but she could sense the aura of power he always gave off, sometimes like a fire, warm and comforting, other times like a malevolent blizzard, threatening to skin her alive with cold even when it wasn't directed at her. He still hadn't told her what happened to him after Stark Tower.

Nonetheless, she was grateful for Loki's hand on hers, silent and reassuring, as she turned off onto the street where Erik's apartment was, a brown-brick building nestled among condos and more apartment blocks. Students and academic mingled in this neighbourhood, and Jane's breath caught when she saw Erik emerge from his building, smiling as he clapped a friend on the shoulder and said goodbye.

At least he wasn't alone.

She pulled over, watching Erik as he went back inside, feeling paralysed. Now she was finally there, she couldn't move.

Once more, it was Loki who spurred her to move. "Go to him," he breathed in her ear, and when she turned to look at him, she saw he'd masked his appearance, his hair short and curly, a russet brown, which trickled down his cheeks to the scruffy beard on his chin. But his eyes were still the same. "We do not have much time."

He extricated her hand from the steering wheel and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. That brief moment of contact and sensation gave her the strength to move, as she nodded and got out of the car.

For a second, she paused then looked back at the car. "Come with me," she murmured, as he stiffened. "I want him to meet you, even if this is the only way without him freaking out."

For a moment, she thought he'd refuse, then he sighed and got out the passenger side, rounding the car to join her. "This is not a good idea," he muttered, as she determinedly interspersed her fingers with his.

"Then why did you get out?" she replied teasingly, as she led him up the steps to the front door, buzzing the number for Erik's apartment. He jerked her to a stop in front of him, holding her against him by her waist as his teeth grazed her neck, making her gasp.

"I think you know very well why, my little temptress," he breathed against her neck, as she slapped the hands around her waist.

"Behave!" she hissed, moving away from just as Erik's enthusiastic greeting came over the intercom, and the door opened.

* * *

Erik's apartment was sparsely but comfortably furnished, a few paintings and things from his Scandinavian heritage hung against the bare brick walls. As soon as she and Loki stepped in the door, Erik scooped her into a deep hug.

He'd never been quite so demonstrably affectionate with her before, and it both warmed and broke her heart. She hugged him back tightly, squeezing her eyes shut until the tears receded.

"Jane! It's great to see you, why didn't you call me?" he breathed in her ear, before straightening and glancing curiously at Loki. "And who's this?"

"Erik this is…" Jane began, looking quickly at Loki who smiled and smoothly offered his hand.

"Lucas King," he introduced himself, as Jane rolled her eyes at him behind Erik's back, at the surname. He just smirked wickedly at her. "Pleased to meet you, Professor Selvig. Jane has told me much about you."

"Pleasure is all mine," Erik replied politely, glancing between them both questioningly. "So, are you…?"

"Yes, we are," Loki replied firmly, as Jane sighed exasperatedly, as he drew her to his side. "We've just made it official, really."

She inwardly wondered at how easily he lied, since she felt about as comfortable with all this as if she'd sat on a wasps' nest. She smiled weakly, as Erik looked to her.

"How'd you meet?" he asked curiously, his eyes narrowed, and once again Loki answered.

"Through SHIELD, actually," he replied calmly. "I…assisted Jane on the Dark Matter Project."

"So you're an astrophysicist too then? What do you specialise in?" Erik asked, moving towards the kitchen, as they followed suit.

"Dark matter and energy, mostly, but I have dabbled in thermonuclear astrophysics," Loki continued, as Jane just gaped at him. He winked at her when Erik's back was turned.

"We…lost track of each other after…what happened," Jane decided to take over the story, since Loki was really getting too into this. "We just found each other again recently, and decided, what the hell? Live through one alien invasion, why waste time?"

Erik chuckled and nodded, as he put the kettle on. "You guys want a drink? I was just about to make myself some coffee."

Jane shook her head. "We can't stay long, Erik," she murmured, feeling tears well up again, as she looked to Loki, who nodded and went back out the hallway. She turned back to her oldest friend and mentor, who was watching her with a careful expression. "Erik, I'm…leaving."

"Going for a holiday?" Erik asked, his careful expression lingering in his eyes even as he smiled for her. "That's good, Jane. You deserve it, after…well, after everything that happened. Better make it a long one."

"Yeah, a really long one," Jane replied, just as she clenched her fists and rounded the breakfast bar to Erik's side. "Erik, I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for always being there for me, for always trusting in my instincts, for helping me out even when things got crazy. I'm not sure I'd be where I am today if it wasn't for you."

"Hey, don't go all soft on me, Jane," he muttered, looking bemused, as she threw herself into his arms again. "It's ok, Jane. Everything's going to be fine, I promise."

He stroked her hair, and she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply of the smell she'd always associated with Erik, of coffee and pine needles and fresh mountain air so cold it could freeze one's breath as it left one's mouth. Tears pricked, but she held them back.

Erik's eyes were moist when she drew back, as if some part of him knew that she wasn't just going on vacation, that she wasn't coming back anytime soon, likely not ever although she hoped that maybe one day, she could come back to her home planet.

"I gotta go," she mumbled, wiping her eyes. He caught her back with a gentle hand on her wrist.

"Jane, are you really ok?" he asked. "Really?"

"Really?" she managed to smile through the pain. "It's just been a tough few months."

"That it has," he smiled tightly, letting her go and following her out to the hallway where Loki waited, intently inspecting one of Erik's photographs. Jane recognised it as the ones of her and Erik at her high school graduation, when she was all awkwardness and enthusiasm in one still maturing package. She saw the innocence in her younger self's eyes and almost envied her that.

Before all the monsters, the darkness, the aliens and SHIELD and the Tesseract and Gods and Frost Giants, before all the scorn and the contempt, all the horrid loneliness of a life on the outskirts.

But she wasn't alone in it. Loki was there with her now. The two outcasts.

"Graduated top of her class," Erik nodded at the photograph, as Loki glanced at him. "She was so nervous going to get her diploma, she tripped on her graduation robe in front of the entire school body, and then when one of the football team started laughing at her, she turned around and told him the exact mathematical likelihood of him ever graduating high school."

Loki chuckled as Jane blushed. "That sounds like you," he told her sincerely. "What was it, out of curiosity?"

"0.0002%, and that was being generous," Erik replied, as Jane's face reddened even more while Loki's chuckle threatened to turn into a full-bellied laugh. She swatted him with her hand.

"Stop it!"

"Well, I'll let you get off," Erik said eventually, as they stood in his hallway, feeling out of place and uncertain. Jane clung to Loki's hand and nodded. "You take care of her, son. I mean it, she's had enough lowlifes jerking her around. You take care of her or there'll be hell to pay."

"Oh I can promise you that, Professor Selvig," Loki replied firmly, as Jane felt his gaze on her. She couldn't meet his eyes as he leant in and kissed her forehead, and something in Erik's eyes shifted. He squeezed her hand, then let go. "I'll wait by the car."

As soon as Loki left them, Jane took a deep breath, steeling herself. Erik's words shocked her, as he took her hand.

"He really loves you, Jane," he told her. "I can see it in his eyes. He's a keeper."

"I hope so," Jane replied weakly.

"Do you love him?" Erik asked.

"I don't know," she replied honestly. "Still figuring that one out."

"But if there's ever anything you need…if something's wrong, you would tell me, wouldn't you Jane?" Erik pressed, and she nodded, swallowing against the lump in her throat. Erik's face softened and he nodded, drawing her in for another hug. "I'll see you soon, Jane."

"Goodbye, Erik," she breathed, hugging him tightly and pressing a kiss to his cheek, before she tore herself away and left hurriedly, feeling Erik's eyes watching her all the way out of the building.

Loki said nothing as she got in the car and started the engine, pulling away from the curb as quickly as humanly possible without knocking anyone over, and proceeding to get as far away from Colorado as she could before imploding, Loki's hand around hers the only thing keeping the tears at bay.

They drove for an hour after they cleared the city limits, as Loki gently squeezed her hand to get her attention. "Pull this vehicle over," he told her, and she mutely obeyed, inwardly thrown by the change in his appearance again. She parked it on the side of the road, as Loki's hands dragged her into his arms, holding her tightly as she finally cried.

She finally calmed, shivering a little from sobbing, her muscles spasming every now and again, as she wiped her tears away with her shirt sleeve. "That was rough," she breathed, feeling Loki's lips against her hair. When she looked up, his appearance had reverted back to his own colouring, and she felt instantly better, his familiar dark hair soft under her fingers. "I definitely prefer the black hair," she told him softly, and he smirked. "What was all that back in his apartment?"

"The best lie is often one founded on a half-truth," he told her solemnly, as she looked away, into the distance contemplatively. "It is harder to disbelieve and easier to remember. I meant what I told him, Jane. I will take care of you."

"I know you will," she sighed, meeting his eyes again before nestling her head beneath his chin. They stayed like that for a moment, before she gently tore herself away, feeling centred again by Loki's embrace. She reflected on the impossibility of that, for a moment, feeling peace and comfort in the arms of her former captor, but then Loki had always called her an impossible creature. "We'd better get going. I want to get as far away as possible before we stop for the night."

* * *

Back in his apartment, Erik stood at his hall window, staring down at the space where Jane's car had been parked an hour before.

Something was not right. It niggled in his brain and sent cold tendrils down his spine.

Jane had seemed so…fragile. He supposed it was only natural, considering what she'd been through, but…she seemed so desperate, so sad, as if she was never going to see him again. But she was just going on a vacation, fully deserved in his opinion, not away forever…

But Jane never took vacations, ever. It was hard enough convincing her to take a break when she was working, for five minutes, so an entire vacation…

No, something was not right, and the crux of it centred on that mysterious man she'd brought with her. Tall, lean and muscled, his features partially obscured by the russet beard and hair, but something about him pricked at Erik. His eyes…so cold, so calculating and intelligent, except when they rested on Jane…

With a shudder, he remembered watching footage on the news, footage of an alien like Thor, powerful and strong, but this one reeked of it in a way Thor did not. He was darkness and ice and death all wrapped up in a pale, leanly handsome package. And Erik knew he'd seen those eyes before, from that footage some onlooker had got on their phone at Stuttgart, as Jane faced down that monster.

Those eyes…just like this mysterious Lucas King's eyes.

He had to make sure. Jane had never made any mention of a man when they spoke on the phone before the incident, and he thought she was still hung up on Thor, to be honest. This man…something didn't feel right.

He reached for the phone, digging in his pocket for the card Agent Coulson had once given him, just after the Puente Antiguo incident.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	20. The Place Where It All Began

Lost Before The Dawn

Warnings: Mentions of sensual situations.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'White Horse' from 'Snow White and the Huntsman' and 'Such A Prize' from 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2'.

* * *

_"There is no real ending. It's just the place where you stop the story." _  
**_- Frank Herbert_**

* * *

Jane had stopped, late that night, over the border into New Mexico. Not wanting to risk a motel, they'd stopped in the middle of the desert, going off-road until they found some rocks to shelter behind. Jane wasn't sure how much dust and sand her car could take, but if it meant they stayed one step ahead of SHIELD, then she'd just have to feel guilty.

Sleeping in a car wasn't exactly comfortable, but it wasn't like the back seat was any better. In the end, she'd leant her seat back, settled onto her side and tried to ignore the curious, amused eyes watching her from the passenger side. She'd need all the rest she could grab, after her emotionally wearing goodbye with Erik, and as a result, she slept like the dead, barely even feeling hunger despite her stomach growling. Loki had insisted she eat something before passing out, and she'd managed a banana and some crackers before determinedly settling down in her seat to grab a few hours sleep.

She awoke with the wheel sticking into her thigh, and the gearstick impaling her in the side. For a second, she sleepily wondered why the hell she was stretched out halfway across the car, when she realised she was in Loki's arms, her head tucked beneath his chin, and her still injured ribs throbbing.

"Ow," she muttered to herself, as she shifted and fidgeted in his embrace. She glanced up at him, features dark in the pre-dawn gloom, and winced.

"Not a reaction I'm used to upon awakening, I'll admit," the reprobate God/pillow rumbled, chuckling, before his voice turned concerned. "Your ribs? I did think that the gear-stick was not, perhaps, the most comfortable of resting places-"

"Loki. Shut up," Jane grumbled, as his hand swept beneath her shirt and t-shirt, clamping firmly over her injured ribs. She felt a tingle of magic against her skin, and then the dull pain faded, and she breathed in relief. "Thank you."

"First she tells me to shut up, then thanks me," Loki muttered. "You Earth women are far too complicated to deal with."

Jane rolled her eyes and looked away, ignoring the hand still curved around her ribcage beneath her shirt. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Only a few hours from dawn by my reckoning," he replied, his hand caressing her skin sensuously. Jane shivered and cocked a brow as she met her lover's eyes.

"Whatever you're thinking, stop it," she muttered. "Sex in a car is not comfortable. So, down boy."

Loki chuckled and raised a brow right back, matching her body language even as his hand curved around to press against her back, shoving her closer into him. Jane rolled her eyes with a sigh, exasperated as much as her body was reacting traitorously, and kissed him. His tongue pressed against the seam of her lips, asking for entrance, and she gave it gladly, caressing the warm weight of him as he invaded her mouth. Her hand clenched in his hair, as he groaned against her lips, his body pressing needily against hers.

"Come on!" Jane gasped, pulling away. "We need to get going. We're only a couple of hours away."

Loki nodded, but she thought she glimpsed an odd expression on his face…was he nervous?

_I suppose he has a right to be. He might have destroyed that portal, but I bet his Dad is still going to be pretty upset about everything else…_

Wordlessly, Jane reached over and kissed him again, letting him know silently that she was with him, no matter what. She'd only just got him back, she wasn't to let anyone take him away again. All-Father or no All-Father.

"Come on, let's go," she breathed as she leant back, starting the engine with a rusty-sounding groan.

* * *

The further they went, the more on edge Jane felt. She kept glancing at the sky, just beginning to lighten, and uneasily wondered if SHIELD was on their tail. _Please just let me get there. Please…_

Suddenly she heard a familiar roar of repulsors soaring through the air, and a Jeep speeding up behind them. Her eyes widened, just as Loki called out to her.

"Off road, now!"

She jerked the steering wheel, jolting around as the car struggled on the rocky, unstable desert ground. She dodged again as a familiar red and gold figure flew into view above them, and she gasped. Stark.

"We're nearly there," Loki breathed, as Jane all but stamped on the accelerator, just managing to keep ahead of the pursuing vehicle, jerking the wheel again. "If we survive this infernal journey."

"Hey, think you can drive better, be my guest!?" Jane snapped irritably, as they tore past the glowing lights of Puente Antiguo, Jane's breath catching as she caught a glimpse of her old lab, then they were past it, back out into the desert again. Jane didn't need Loki's instructions now, she knew where she was going blindfolded.

She jumped out of her skin as they crested a rise and sped down the other side, as a tap came against her window. Looking sideways, she realised Stark was flying alongside them, and he was tapping against the window.

With a sigh, she rolled it down, slowing slightly. "Are you crazy?" she barked, and even though she couldn't see his face, she could imagine the billionaire inventor's look of offended incredulity.

"Am _**I **_crazy?" he retorted. "Pot calling the kettle black there, Foster."

Jane rolled her eyes. "What do you want, Stark?" Loki asked from beside her, over the roar of the wind as Jane concentrated on not totalling the car.

"To talk. I'm guessing you two are headed off-world and we decided to come see you off. Plus, you've got about thirty minutes before a whole squad of SHIELD goons are going to be coming after you," Stark explained, as Jane slowed the car. Loki nodded to himself, before glancing at Jane.

"I feared Selvig might realise who I was," he told her, as she stared at him, then closed her eyes and groaned.

"Damn it," she muttered. "He probably thinks I'm a zombie like James was. We need to hurry."

"We're almost there. I can sense the imprint's magic," he replied, and she nodded determinedly.

They crested the last rise, and there it was, miraculously preserved despite the harsh desert winds, dark against the sand. The spot where Thor first crashed into her life, where her world changed forever. The place where it all began.

The Jeep caught up to them, and Jane caught a glimpse of blue, red and golden hair. Captain America.

She braked hard a few hundred metres away, and threw herself from the car, Loki beside her, as she defiantly faced down their pursuers, as Stark landed and Rogers got out of the Jeep.

Jane felt the shiver of magic as Loki altered his appearance, his leather surcoat and armour reappearing on his body in a flare of gold, as she clutched her jacket closer around her.

"Dr. Foster!" Rogers called her name urgently. "Are you ok?"

"She is fine, soldier," Loki snapped irritably. Jane elbowed him, although the movement hurt her more than him.

"I can speak for myself y'know," she hissed, before turning to the superhuman. "I'm ok, Captain. I know what I'm doing and if you just let us, we'll be off-"

"Do you? Do you, really?" Rogers snapped harshly, glaring at Loki who glared right back.

"Remember Stuttgart, mortal. I did not need my sceptre to defeat you there," he growled. "You insult Jane if you believe this is anything less than her own will."

"Yeah, and we all know how easily you can play around with someone's 'will'," Rogers replied, as Loki tensed and Jane sprang between them.

"Enough, both of you!" she hissed, before facing the Captain. "This is my choice, Captain. Accept it and move on."

Stark sighed as his mask retracted, and stomped forward. "She's right, Steve. Let her go," he told the super-soldier quietly, before stepping forward with a suspicious glare at Loki. "You going to be ok there, Foster?"

"I think so," Jane nodded, as Loki's hand crept around her waist. Stark eyed it, then stared at Loki intently, and when the alien Prince did not look away, he nodded.

"You're bona fide, 100% nuts but I trust your judgement on this, Foster," he murmured. He held out a hand to Loki, who stared at him, before he took it warily. "And you, Reindeer Games, you look after her, you hear? You sure as hell don't deserve her."

"I know that very well, Stark," Loki replied coolly.

"And I suppose…thanks. For helping us in New York, it doesn't quite wipe the slate clean but…" Stark shrugged. "We'll see."

He released the alien's hand, as Loki looked to the sky. "Jane, we must hurry," he told her, taking her hand and leading her to the circle. She inhaled deeply, relishing the dry, dusty air of New Mexico, looking up to the sky as it turned a deep shade of purple, then pink as the sun began to peek over the horizon.

"Jane!" Rogers suddenly called, as she turned to meet his gaze. His jaw worked, before he nodded to her. "Good luck."

"Thanks," she smiled, before stepping back into the circle and letting Loki pull her against him. She heard the roar of car engines not far away, and the _whirr _of helicopters overhead.

* * *

Taking one last breath, she said goodbye to her planet and her old life, before looking up trustingly into the eyes of the creature who had effectively changed it. Whether for good or bad remained to be seen.

"Hey, Jane," Tony suddenly called, as a wind sprung up, and clouds grew and expanded above them. She looked to him, squinting as the dust of the desert rose up in a miniature cyclone around her and Loki. "You made one hell of an Avenger!"

Jane shook her head and laughed, as Loki chuckled and raised his eyes to the heavens. "Heimdall!" he cried. "It is I, Loki of Asgard. Open the Bifrost!"

With a thrill, Jane felt her entire body turn to light, as her vision dissolved into tiny diamond pinpricks of light rushing past her, Loki's arms around her waist, her only tangible sensation. The image of Tony Stark and Steven Rogers, Iron Man and Captain America, watching their departure with awe and fear, burned into her mind, as she was ripped away from her world forever.

But that was ok. She had fulfilled her destiny on that world, and now she had another purpose, another path to follow.

Whether it lead to good or evil, Jane did not and could not know. Whether it contained heartbreak or joy, she couldn't know. Danger, loss, or love, she couldn't be sure of her future anymore, but she was done trying to control all that. Whatever came her way, she would fight and laugh and find her own way through it all.

And if it contained the man in whose arms she was nestled, then so much the better. She had no doubt that her immediate future was going to be dark and difficult. They were both broken, damaged creatures teetering on the brink of insanity and endless darkness, but Jane had also seen the light in Loki. Mere flashes, glimpses of a man above the petty bitterness and hurt of his past. A creature who did not need power, or a throne, to be worth something. He held power already, if only he could accept it, and that was the truth of him, Jane knew it.

And Jane was going to help him find that truth, the truth of who Loki really was and could be, no matter what.

_**Finis**_

* * *

_To be continued in the sequel: Veritas. I'm on holiday from the 25th to the 9th July, so I will take some time to work on the opening chapters but will not post before the 9th. But stay tuned for more! Thanks for reading and reviewing!_


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